Shadows in Disguise
by Servatia
Summary: Loki not only survived waking Surtur, he even came back to Thor. Thor wants to be delighted to have his brother back. He wants to be delighted that his brother hasn't forgotten the secret they'd shared when they were oh so young. But there is that nagging thought that in truth, Loki is biding his time. To do what remains to be seen.
1. Interruption of Hypocrisy

_((Yesterday I watched_ Crimson Peak _without checking who directed the thing or anything really. Took me about half an hour to recognise Guillermo del Toro's handwriting. And since this movie is a total mess, this happened. While it has nothing to do with the film directly, it certainly inspired me. Which should tell you enough about the mood of this. I have no idea how it's going to end. To keep in the spirit of_ Crimson Peak _, it depends entirely on the characters' choices._

 _Also, I adopt someone from Norse mythology. A little more than their name but not their story. Still, if you are very familiar with the mythology you can guess what's going on_

 _Both title and chapter heading are lines from the Lacuna Coil song_ Unspoken _.))_

* * *

 _1\. Interruption of Hypocrisy_

Thor watched the stopper soar through the air in a graceful arc. He expected it to continue its journey through the illusion and to the floor. But then, there was a soft sound as a very solid, very real hand closed around it. A small shift in Loki's expression. 'I'm here.'

For a couple of seconds all Thor could do was stare. 'Brother,' he choked out at last, and as if driven by an outward force he had no control over, he walked towards the other man. He took his face into both hands, feeling the warmth of his skin (how did Loki get to be warm anyway?), its softness … The hint of a smile Loki gave him turned into a grin and before he could crack some joke, Thor let go of his face and hugged him instead, fiercely, with more strength than was necessary. Loki didn't just suffer it silently. Instead he held on to him with the same vehemence. 'Brother,' Thor said again, the word muffled against Loki's shoulder. 'I've never been happier to see someone in my life.'

Now Loki let go and pulled away. Thor let him. 'Really, Thor? I wondered.'

'You saved us all.' He swallowed hard. 'And I missed you. Every moment you weren't there.'

'Well, then you'll be glad to hear that … my plan was to stay, if I am welcome. It turns out, I don't care to have everyone's approval. Yours will do fine.'

Thor ruffled his hair, as if Loki hadn't feigned his death twice, as if he hadn't broken Thor's heart in more ways than he could list. 'You are more than welcome. I'm going to need you.' He took hold of Loki's hands. 'So, you're not just taking a ride to wherever?'

'I think we all are doing that. But I'm not abandoning you.' He frowned slightly. 'I'm going to prove to you that I have the potential you believed I had. Every ounce of it and more.'

'Loki …'

'I need to say this. No backstabbing, no betrayal. I can't promise no lies. There is such a thing as too much truth.'

'No trying to kill me?'

'Promise.'

Thor thought he saw sincerity in the green eyes. Gentleness. He nodded. 'You know what? I actually think you mean that.'

Loki beamed at him, but there was a shadow of something darker about his expression. He struggled for a moment, then he sighed. 'Thor, there is something else.'

'You can tell me anything, brother.'

Loki bit his lower lip. 'I'm afraid you might hit me.'

'I promise I won't.'

'Electrocute me?'

Thor snorted. 'Nope. None of that. But I am getting worried. What did you do?'

'Nothing yet.' Loki's tongue flitted out over his lips for a moment. Then he yanked on Thor's hands, hard, making their chests collide. Thor was going to ask him what on earth he meant by that, when he felt Loki's lips on his.

It was … it was bliss. Long ago, when they were half children, they had done this, this and so much more. They felt guilty but couldn't stop for the life of them until they almost got caught. Loki had decided to end their incestuous – as they had believed – behaviour, had been adamant, and after that there had been a yawning abyss between them. It had never been bridged, not even when they had found back to their banter. At the edge of Thor's thoughts, the past had been lurking, the ghost off a love they'd had to murder. After the revelation that Loki was not his brother, Thor had sometimes thought back to it, but never in his wildest dreams had he dared to hope …

The thoughts were chased away by the tip of Loki's tongue teasing his lips open, and he sighed, opening himself up. Loki was still pressed against him and he could feel his hardness against his thigh, felt how incredibly tight his clothing suddenly was. He pulled away with an incredible effort of will. Gasping for breath, he stretched one arm in front of him to keep them apart. 'Loki, what is this?'

His brother spluttered, his face red with shame. 'I am sorry, brother, I thought … hoped … it will not happen again.'

'Don't you dare …'

Loki looked at him again, his eyes wide. 'Thor. I swear to you, I will never …'

'No! Don't finish that sentence.' Thor took a few steadying breaths. 'What were you thinking? What did you hope for?'

Loki shrugged, eyes at a spot behind Thor. 'I … didn't think that far. A chance we never had. To have you … to be with you.'

'Until your whim carries you into another one's bed.'

'No.' Loki's voice was very quiet. 'My whims usually end with disappointment that whoever it is isn't you. I stopped doing whims eventually. It only brought me pain. I want no other.'

Thor's heart was beating wildly. 'If that is true … Loki, look at me. If that is true, I'll end the sentence I didn't before. Don't you dare stay away.' He opened his arms wide. 'Come here?'

Smiling minutely, Loki stepped into his embrace. 'And your whims, brother mine?'

'Weren't you either.' He kissed Loki's forehead. 'Can we agree to … not announce this ship wide just yet?'

Loki chuckled. It sounded sad. 'I have no illusions that we can leave the past behind us instantly. Let alone your people. They don't need to know as long as they hate and fear me.'

'No-one hates you.'

Loki clicked his tongue. 'You think, Thor? Just … be wary. My presence here may be to your detriment. Heed me in this.'

Thor was stunned by the urgency in Loki's tone. 'I'll heed you. In this and other matters. Believe me, brother. I will heed you.'

* * *

 _((If you got the yawning abyss reference, you might figure the rest of the plot out when I get to it.))_


	2. All That Remains

As wildly as that night had started, they had spent the rest of it talking, sitting close together, touching tentatively, getting a cautious feel of each other after almost a decade of little but venom. Loki had not only agreed that they should keep this to themselves for a while, he had suggested that they keep his presence from the people at least for a few hours. Thor's coronation was the following evening – Asgardians were nothing if not efficient – and that Loki was here might cause trouble. Thor had protested, but not much. It was a fact they both knew. No matter how well-timed Loki's arrival had been, no matter how many more would be dead if he hadn't come, many saw him as the instigator of the entire mess. And many believed that Hela could have been defeated without destroying all they were, blaming Loki for waking Surtur. Surely, they would think he should at least have had the grace to die.

What he hadn't told Thor was how he had survived. His brother had sent him on a suicide mission. That should have stung, but in their situation, it was the only thing they could have done. And Thor, as he had revealed last night, hadn't expected either of them to survive, had expected to meet his brother again … wherever, only a heartbeat – or lack thereof – later. Now Thor had asked him how he'd got out, to which Loki had replied vaguely that he was resourceful. His salvation, of course had been the Tesseract, hidden away in a dimensional pocket now. Loki wanted nothing more than to get rid of it, but that wasn't as easy as one would think with an object of such violent power.

And now … now he was on his way to the first council meeting Thor had called. He was striding through the corridors, emerald cloak billowing behind him, hands clasped behind his back. He held his head high, his face schooled into an aloof expression as he walked, seemingly paying no attention to the stares he was getting. He did take note of them, however, and not all were hostile. That was something.

Thor had called the meeting in a huge room on an upper deck. It had a stage at the front so it was meant for some sort of performance. The room was already half crowded when Loki arrived – not late, but not too early, either. He made his way through the people, and kept walking right onto the stage. Thor grinned at him and gave him a hug. It was a message to their people as much as it was a gesture of affection. 'I'm grateful,' he said. 'I know you didn't want to come.'

'You can thank me later.'

'Can you … ah … go back down? You know, I mean, to the rest of the people. I'm sure you'll seize the opportunity to come back up once it's there.'

'Ah. The King wants to be alone in the limelight.'

'You should be intimately familiar with that desire,' Thor said quietly.

Loki chuckled, answering equally softly. 'Using the words intimately and desire in the same sentence makes me think of something entirely different.'

'Oh. I _will_ thank you later.'

'Good. Rest assured that I, in turn, will want to come.' Grinning, Loki left the stage to stand directly in front of Thor with the rest of the people behind him.

Thor spread his arms wide. 'People of Asgard. I called this my first council meeting, and for the moment, you all are that council. Or you can be.' He lowered his arms again. 'Almost all of our survivors are in this room now. Some are attending duties across the ship, but they can hear us if they choose to and they are informed of my request to everyone who is still alive.

'This room was meant to seat 500 people. These seats are filled and there is barely space to walk between those standing around, in front, and behind the seats. That means we have more survivors than I had thought. I'm glad and grateful to all of you for helping each other escape certain death, ensuring the survival of our people. Our kind. We are enough. I didn't …' He faltered, and his gaze found Loki's as if he drew strength from it. 'I wasn't certain if that would be the case. Once again, our people prove all but indestructible.' His left hand strayed to the eye patch in a gesture Loki was sure was unconscious. 'Father told me that Asgard isn't a place. It is us, and it is wherever we are. We are on a journey to Midgard that will take us eight or nine months. We have the supplies for that journey, do not worry that we shall all starve. What I need, now, is a council, men and women who will advise me. Hela has slaughtered our old council as well as the soldiers. So here it is. Who will aid me? Who wishes to be one of my advisers?'

Loki blinked. He wanted to ask Thor if he was serious, but he kept his silence. No-one ever chose a council like that. Odin's advisers had been handpicked. But then, that had been a different situation.

Considering the amount of people in the room, it was incredibly silent. Loki waited with a growing sense of impatience until he saw the unease on Thor's face. 'No one?' he asked then in a carrying voice. 'Very well. I volunteer.'

Thor beamed at him. 'Come up to me, then, brother.'

In measured steps, Loki mounted the stage. He stood to Thor's right, perfectly in line with him rather than behind. Someone in the crowd shouted, 'No!'

Thor's face darkened, but Loki wouldn't let him demand who it was, talking before Thor could. 'Listen to me,' he said sharply. 'I expected opposition. However, it is undeniable that on this ship, I am the person with the most experience ruling our people. I did it for two years and you didn't notice. Now it is Thor's turn, and I am relieved of the burden. For that it is. I shall stand by his side. It was his choice to deny me. He did not. If you disagree, there is one sensible response, isn't there?' He made an inviting gesture and didn't get an answer. 'Why, it's obvious. Join the council.'

'I will join,' a powerful voice said. 'But not out of disapproval of your person.' Heimdall was an impressive figure and even though he had been close to the back, he didn't even have to make an effort for a path to form.

'I'm joining. Yeah. Because I disapprove.' Valkyrie. Her face was split by a grin as she vaulted onto the stage where she stood rather than walking a few steps to the stairs at the centre and on either side.

Loki watched a hand go up. Thor stared, baffled, for a few moments. Loki laughed. 'I think he wants permission to talk.'

'What? Korg! You don't need to … ah …' He imitated the raised hand vaguely. 'You can just, you know, talk.'

Loki snorted and struggled for control. He almost missed Korg's saying: 'I don't believe that a monarchy is a viable system.'

Loki made a dismissive gesture. 'We know what you think is best, Korg. But maybe you should stop mistaking monarchy for tyranny.'

'Do you want to be on the council, Korg?' Thor offered. 'If you want to make sure no-one is overlooked by the system, this is the best way for you to do it.' A soft mutter went through the people. Loki smiled. He had expected it.

'I am not Asgardian. I wondered if I could.'

'You'll notice that one of the advantages of a monarchy is that I get to decide who can and can't be on my council. Come on up.'

Korg hesitated. 'I mean … if the majority of the people is against it, I wouldn't want to.'

'This isn't an election,' Loki said with a hint of impatience.

'If this is what he wants,' Thor said softly. 'People of Asgard. I believe a different perspective can only do us good. I would have Korg advise me, regardless of the fact that he wasn't born among us. He is here. He is part of our group of refugees, quite literally in the same boat. I would not refuse him. Will you?' No one spoke or raised their hands. After the way Thor had asked, Loki would have been astounded if it had been different. Thor beamed. 'See? Come on, Korg, I think you're going to be brilliant.'

Finally, the Kronan started to move. 'Fine. But this wasn't a fair question.'

Thor and Loki exchanged a glance before the King addressed the people again. 'There is one particular person I want on my team. She is one of our best healers and while she was never on the council, she was a friend to our father. Heid, please.'

'I'd rather …' The woman next to her, looking identical, nudged her hard in the ribs. 'I mean … Isn't this called the council of Elders? Am I an Elder?'

'We can rename it.'

Loki's eyes settled on her twin. He leaned closer to Thor and spoke in an undertone. 'Take her sister, too. Her name is Gullveig.'

'The one that looks like Heid only sour?'

'Yes. That one. She organises ship maintenance. I know her.'

'Oh. Good. Gullveig, you too. Both of you. Come on.'

'Your Highness, neither of us has any experience with rulership,' Heid said.

'Don't you?' Valkyrie called out. 'You're the second in command in the infirmary, Gullveig is the head of some technical … whatever. You know how to organise people. None of the rest of us do.'

'I organised a rebellion,' Korg pointed out and Loki groaned.

'Please. I want to have very different people from different backgrounds on my council, as you can see. I want someone from our lot that isn't highborn or in some other way a part of a privileged class.'

The sisters shared a look before moving through the crowd as one. Loki watched them, mesmerised. They walked almost in perfect sync and he wondered if all twins were like that.

Thor, in the meantime, clapped his hands together and grinned. 'Anyone else?' He gave them half a minute. 'Well. You can always forward your names later. Father's council had nine seats. Mine now has six. I am willing to take three more if they can broaden our horizon. Now you'll excuse us. The council. I'd like to talk to you lot, see that we all get to know each other.'

Ϡ

They had retreated into a smaller room, adjacent to Thor's quarters. It had an oval table in it, a cabinet with liquor and glasses, and a large window looking out to the stars. It probably had served a similar purpose, which was why it was close to the captain's quarters.

'So,' Thor said. In his hand, he cradled a shot glass full of amber liquid. 'To Asgard, my friends. To our future.' They downed their shots and Valkyrie grabbed the bottle to take a hearty swig from it. Loki noticed that when she put the bottle down, only very little was missing, for all the show she'd made. 'What I want to make clear is that I am not my father and I will not have us repeat his mistakes. Therefore, you will not only be my advisers, you will help me rule. Loki, obviously you are my second in command. You are my brother, you are right now my heir if anything should happen to me.'

'Excuse me,' Valkyrie said, 'is it wise to point that out to him?'

Loki gave her a level look. 'If you think I wasn't aware of that, you're delusional.'

Thor glared at him. 'Not helping. Anyway. We want to rename this Council of Elders to … what? Suggestions?'

'The King's Thing?' Loki suggested.

Thor opened his mouth and closed it. 'No,' he said then. 'No way in hell.' Valkyrie barely contained her laughter. Even Heimdall's eyes were crinkling with mirth.

'The Friends of the Asgardian People,' said Korg. Thor buried his head in his hands.

Valkyrie tipped a finger against her chin. 'How about The Source of Royal Wisdom?'

Thor smiled pleasantly at the three of them. 'Another advantage of a monarchy is that after the next ridiculous suggestion I can name you The King's Flea Circus or The Royal Wipers and there is absolutely nothing you can do about it.'

'I suggest keeping the Council of Elders as our name or, as an alternative, the Royal Council,' Heimdall offered.

Thor nodded eagerly. 'Yes. That is a fine, dull, name. I like it. At any rate, there are several organisational matters I want to hand over to … to the Royal Council. First, health. Heid, it will be your department. You will regulate and organise working hours, education of new healers and that kind. I know you are a healer and not a slide rule, but this needs to be done by someone who knows how much of what can be asked of a healer. A bureaucrat is no use.'

She nodded. 'You're right. I know. I have done some of that already, I will gladly do it.'

'Gullveig.' Thor smiled at her. Loki observed her closely. She no longer had the glum expression from before. Apparently she wasn't all that comfortable around crowds. 'You just keep doing what you do already, only in an official capacity. Also, please make certain our people do not sap too much energy for unnecessary things. I leave it to you where you draw the line.'

'Wise. I will do it, your Highness.'

'Ah. No. Don't. Not in here, don't do that. Out there, you may call me that but … in here, please just say Thor. This … isn't how I want it to be.'

Korg raised an eyebrow – or at least it looked like raising an eyebrow, only the Kronan version of it. 'This is progress. Not ideal, but progress. Puts you on a level. Now if you would make it a general rule to use your name …'

'No,' Loki said firmly. 'Thor _is_ our King. We will refer to him as such to the public.'

'Only Korg isn't Asgardian,' Heimdall said. 'Thor isn't his king. To make him use a title he does not acknowledge seems … ah …'

'The words you look for are wrong or childish,' Thor supplied. 'Korg, you can call me anything you like.'

'You never tell me that,' Loki said under his breath.

Thor ignored him. 'Speaking of you, Korg, I need a quartermaster. That encompasses rations, clothing, weaponry. Someone with a sense of equality and fairness should do this. Would you agree to be my quartermaster?'

Watching a piece of rock blink rapidly was a sight to behold. 'Why, yes, of course. Do you include yourself in that rationing?'

'All of us. Yes. We are not entitled to more or better food than the rest.'

'We're not?' Loki asked.

'Shut up.' Thor gave him a very unconvincing glare. 'Next, as I have mentioned, we have lost our warriors. We need to train new ones.'

Valkyrie raised her hand. 'I'll do that.'

'I hoped you would. I also need someone to manage education of the young in general. To find people with knowledge to pass on, to have them teach magic and astronomy and history and what not. Loki … I'd hoped …'

Loki contemplated his hands. 'I hadn't expected you to assign me a department.'

'Of course you get a department. Everyone does.'

'What is yours?'

'Being King. Trust me, that's intimidating enough.'

Loki turned his gaze on his brother. 'You will be an excellent ruler. There is no need to worry.' He licked his lips. 'I will, of course, do as you ask.'

'Last … it seems foolish, but I want some sort of … I don't know. Police or intelligence office. I want the armoury guarded, I want our rations guarded, but I also want an ear to the ground. We are very many people on rather little space. I need to know of problems before they fester.'

'Understood,' Heimdall said simply.

'May I make a suggestion that has nothing to do with my department?' Loki asked.

Thor laughed. 'Everyone may suggest anything here. That is the main point of a council, after all.'

'We should do a census.'

'Good idea. Will you organise it? I know, not your department but you're good with this kind of stuff.'

'I will. And … since we are probably no more than a three digit number of people … I recommend two things. One is genetic screening for couples that wish to reproduce. To minimise inbreeding.'

Thor looked at him for a long while. 'It is a good suggestion. But it will not be popular.'

Loki shrugged. 'Well. My reputation can hardly be damaged.'

'I'll say,' Valkyrie said and poured herself another – only the second – shot.

'No. You do the census. Heid, the screening goes to your department. The people love you. You can pull it off without major problems.'

She inclined her head.

'You had something else?' Thor asked.

'Yes. For the sake of reproduction you may want to consider banning homosexual behaviour.'

Valkyrie had just tried to drain her shot and sprayed it all over Heimdall, who sat across her. Loki got rid of the mess with an impatient gesture of his hand.

Thor stared at him. 'Are you kidding?'

'I said you might consider it. You may as well not.'

'Loki, would you have me tell an elder couple that suddenly their marriage is illicit?'

'Of course not. But … not form new ones?'

'Our kind has always been more attracted to souls than bodies, Loki. This isn't something we can regulate or vilify or …'

'Not vilify, of course. I'm not saying you should act like a stupid Midgardian and tell people that they're dirty. But … you are right, no matter the reasoning, it would be a cruel law. Maybe we could encourage them to … I don't know, team up with other couples, get someone pregnant, and then move on to the ones they love.'

'Encouraging reproduction is good,' Heid said. 'We should do that. We have to. So that is actually a good plan. To get same sex couples that are friendly to create children. Obviously, not by persuading them to sleep with someone they do not wish to sleep with.'

'Can we do that artificially? Here?' Thor asked.

'That … isn't the world's greatest challenge,' Heid said simply.

'Don't you need some sort of very complex equipment, or … How would you do that?'

Heid looked at him for several seconds. 'With a donation and a syringe,' she said then, in the tone of a mother explaining something to a very daft child.

Thor flushed crimson and Valkyrie howled with laughter at his expression. Thor was still beet red when he stuttered that this was all for now and that they'd meet in three days to see if there was any progress in their departments.


	3. Dancing on the Wall

_((Chapter heading is taken from the song_ Dancing _by ASP.))_

 _3\. Dancing on the Wall_

Thor couldn't sleep. The meeting, the fact that he had a council, that he was undeniably king, kept him awake. And then there was Loki, of course, all he had said at the meeting.

The computer for Thor's door gave a soft beep, telling him someone was at the door. It had to be Loki. Wearing nothing but his briefs, Thor walked over and opened.

Outside stood … well. One of the twins. She didn't bat an eye at his appearance, but Thor felt himself flush. 'I'm sorry, I thought you were … ah … someone else,' he said as a greeting. 'Is something wrong?'

'Several things,' she said.

Thor sighed. 'Give me a moment, please.' He closed the door in her face and dressed hastily before letting her in. 'Again, I apologise.'

'May I ask who you were expecting?'

'You may ask. I may not answer.'

'Fair enough. Your Highness …'

He buried his head in his hands. 'Again? What do I have to do to get you to use my name, if opening the door naked isn't enough?'

'Thor,' her lips curled into a smile. 'You said you wanted an ear to the ground. The people, they will not like who you chose. And I don't only mean your brother.'

'He has a name, too. Can we just use those? If we start talking about each other as the Kronan, the Healer, the engineer, and so forth, I'll start flipping tables. And speaking of names, which one are you, exactly?'

'Gullveig. I'm sorry, I should know by now that only very few people can tell us apart.'

'What's the people's concern, then?'

'Where to begin …' She shook her head. 'Loki's arrival was timely indeed, but they have a hard time trusting him. And I have to say that I can relate. Surely you know this.'

'Loki's presence on the council isn't up for debate. If he hadn't volunteered, I'd have begged him to join.'

Gullveig gave Thor a lingering look. 'There is something you do not know. During your absence, when he ruled, there was a series of killings. And some thought he was responsible.'

Thor frowned. 'That makes no sense. He was dead, officially.'

'Not everyone believed that.'

'No. Loki has done many things that cannot be whitewashed in any way, but he is changing. He's changed already, or he wouldn't have come. He didn't want to, you know. He thought Asgard was lost, but when it was clear that I was going, he couldn't abandon me.'

'Maybe. But people wonder if he didn't have an ulterior motive. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that. I don't think so, and I don't believe that he murdered these few unfortunate souls. In fact, I believe these murders have happened before his rule, and Odin was just better at covering them up when it turned out impossible to find the culprit. With all due respect.'

Thor waved her away. 'Our father was very good at covering things up. I'll ask Heimdall if he knows anything.'

'I'd wait, to be honest. So many of us are dead, there is an excellent chance that the responsible person has perished.'

Thor hated to admit that she had a point. He wanted answers, but they had other priorities. 'You're right. I'll ask Loki, though. Maybe he knew something.'

'Well, aside from Loki, there is Valkyrie, whom some still consider a defector, and there is a foreigner who doesn't even accept your rule. You see how this is not ideal?'

Thor folded his arms. 'And what would you have me do? I'd be quite a bad king if I bent to every whim of the people, especially if I am convinced that I have chosen Asgard's best for my council. Even if one of them is Kronan.'

Gullveig shrugged. 'There is something else. We tried to measure the potential of this ship today. As in, how fast can we go for how long. We have quite the journey ahead of us after all. And there was something odd. There seems to be an energy source that we cannot locate.'

'Well. We haven't been on this ship for long. I'm sure it has a few secrets.'

Gullveig's brows furrowed slightly. 'Perhaps. But it doesn't do anything with the ship. It's just dissipating. If we can find it, we can increase our speed, by how much I cannot even tell.'

'Look for it, then. Gullveig, if you'd excuse me …'

She stood quickly. 'Of course. My apologies. I just couldn't stop thinking …'

'You and me both,' Thor said.

'Can speak freely?'

'Of course.'

'Your father was a good king, even if he may have had flaws. Your brother was a catastrophe. He did nothing. Our people, all of us, have very high hopes of you leading us all safely through this crisis. Everyone on this ship has lost loved ones. The nine realms have been reduced to eight, and our very own home is the world lost. I need not tell you this, you feel the pain yourself.'

'What you are saying is, don't fail us if you want to remain king?'

'Not precisely. But for the last few millennia, we could ignore the crown, and we did. So much we didn't notice Loki had usurped the Allfather. Rest assured that no-one is ignoring the crown or the council now. Everything we say or do will be watched closely and judged.' She raised her hands. 'I have kept you long enough. Good night, Thor.'

On her way out, Thor saw her hesitate and laughed. 'Come on. Say it.'

Gullveig stopped and looked back at him. 'You will be a great king, Thor. I'm sure of that.'

Thor watched her go, feeling wistful. He wanted Loki with him more than anything else in the world. Maybe then he could find the peace he needed to sleep. But as long as they weren't prepared to let the entire ship know about them, sharing quarters was a bad idea. And if Gullveig was right, it wasn't time for that yet.


	4. Create a Better One

_((Honestly, the thing that took me the longest was finding a chapter heading for this. I decided to use the first line in my playlist that hits me. This one comes out of_ Prayer _by Deine Lakaien. In a weird, psychotic way, it makes sense.))_

* * *

 _4\. Create a Better One_

'People of Asgard,' Loki said into the microphone. His announcement would be heard across the ship. 'In order to be able to ration fairly during our journey, we are doing a census. Participation is not optional. In five days, supplies will only be handed to registered people. If you have not been registered and want to pick up rations after that, we won't turn you away, of course, but you will have to do the census then and there. That would inconvenience everyone after you in line and we'd let them yell at you as much as they want.

'For those unable to come themselves, I ask the caretaker that brings their provisions to approach me and they can fill in the census for them. This applies to those that are too injured to walk as well as underage children.' He paused. 'There are a few things we need to know. Your name and your age for starters, your gender, you marital status and the name of your spouses, your origin. That does not mean that your place of birth will make a difference, it is merely information we require to estimate the necessity of further measures to ensure our survival. In the case of our various guests from Sakaar, it also means that we can make certain we don't give them food that could kill them because of their unique physiology.

'The other questions are optional. Informing us of innate magic and its nature and any other useful skills are very valuable information to us, but you need not disclose them. We do not mean to control every aspect of your lives, but we are stretched thin. And if you were to let us know what you can do individually, it will spare us a lot of trouble when we need someone with your respective talents. Please do not think that we're trying to create a register for every seiðrmaðr or seiðrkona, as it has been suggested by former council members. I'd be the last person to want anything of that sort; you can believe that, if nothing else. The census is done in our office starting now. That will be all.'

'Further measures to ensure our survival?' Thor asked.

Loki leaned back in his chair with his hands linked behind his neck. They had two desks facing each other, so he could easily grin at his brother. 'The genetic screening. Who knows, maybe we can leave them well enough alone. Or at least, some of them.'

Thor stared at Loki in a manner that told him nothing good would follow. 'I wasn't going to mention that weird suggestion of yours again but … Loki, what were you thinking?'

'Well. That any genetically determined disadvantages are more likely to be inherited if two people are related. I was under the impression that you agreed with me on this.'

'Not that. The other thing.'

'Thor, I …'

'Don't you realise that this also means us? I said it before, the rules apply to all of us. So the only sensible answer is that …'

'No.' Loki stood abruptly. He closed the door with a wave of his hand and walked around the two desks to pull his brother upright. 'Don't ever think that. I want this. Us. If you truly wish to live by the same laws as the rest, my proposal truly was foolish.'

Thor rested his forehead against Loki's shoulder. 'I was worried that you'd come to regret what you'd said when you arrived. I couldn't sleep at all last night.'

Loki pulled away enough to look at Thor. 'You could have said something, Thor.'

'I thought you don't believe open communication is a thing we do.'

'Maybe that should change.' He kissed Thor briefly. 'Are we good, brother?'

A small smile tugged on Thor's lips. 'Very. In hindsight, it seems stupid to even think that.'

'I'm not going to contradict you on that, you know.' Loki gave Thor a gentle pat on the chest and opened the door again. 'Now, do you think we should make bets how many people will try and talk to you about the census because they'd rather not speak to me?'

Ϡ

'Please use the computer to enter your own data,' Loki said what felt like the hundredth time.

'Ah. This isn't why I came.'

Exasperated, Loki looked at Korg. 'Then why are you standing in the queue?'

'I thought I was supposed to wait until it's my turn.'

'For the census. Yes. You have to do that, too, you know. Even Thor and I did it. No exceptions.'

'What is a cider-mother?'

Across from Loki, Thor started laughing so hard people leaned past the doorframe to look at him.

Loki couldn't bring himself to be annoyed, for some reason. 'No. That is so not the right word. It's seiðrmaðr. A man with magic. Like myself. And you, too, dear brother, so you can just as well get a grip. Or did you think you had an electric organ in your balls that makes you spew lightning?' That last part didn't have the desired effect to sober Thor. On the contrary. Loki decided to ignore him. 'Korg. What did you actually want?'

'Well, I came because of the dead body.'

Thor was instantly silent, meaning that Loki had obviously heard right. He was very relieved that people were waiting outside rather than queueing directly behind Korg. 'Excuse me?' Loki asked.

'We found a dead body in the water tank.'

'In how many pieces?'

'One. Is that relevant?'

'In a way. But what made you wait your turn? Normal people would come crashing inside with something like this!'

'Well, the …'

'Shut up.' He thought for a moment. 'Heimdall. Heimdall! I need you right away.'

Thor had had the sense to slam the door shut. 'How,' he asked, 'does a body get in there to start with?'

'I have no idea. Not by accident, though.' Loki wanted to bang his head against the desk. 'Not again. So many are dead, but not the only crazy of Asgard. We cannot afford this. We cannot lose people.'

'Loki.' A gentle hand was placed on his shoulder. 'Loki, look at me.' He did. 'Tell me what you know.'

'Not much.' He shrugged. 'Someone has killed one person every few centuries. Mother was trying to find them and couldn't because there was extremely little to go by. She suspected it might be a mad völva.' He looked at Korg. 'That's a witch, before you repeat whatever the pebble you have for a brain made of that.'

'A witch? Like you, then?' the Kronan asked. Thor's lips twitched, but he kept it down this time.

'No,' Loki said with as much patience as he could muster. 'Not quite like me. Now if you'd …' The door opened, revealing Heimdall. 'Oh, good. We have a problem. It seems the infamous murderer has survived.'

'I expected them to,' Heimdall said. 'They must be resourceful.'

'I'd hoped that with so many dead, some of them might be those we won't miss. Well, at least with little more than a handful of us here, they should be easier to find.'

'I cannot help you.' Heimdall looked thoroughly regretful. 'They can shield themselves from me.'

Thor gave a low whistle. 'Not a lot of people who can do that. Loki, I didn't know anyone else could.' Thor's eye widened. 'That sounded … I don't think it's you.'

'I. Am. Not. A. Witch.' He had balled his hands into fists. 'This is something that takes powerful magic of anyone else than me. My magic, almost all of it, is about what is seen and what is real, so for me hiding from Heimdall isn't that hard. It's something entirely different for a völva. Witch. Sorry.'

'It doesn't sound different,' Korg said.

Heimdall looked at him. 'This wasn't Loki. It started before he was born. And a witch that can change their aura is never good news. A witch should be a soothsayer and little more.'

'Exactly,' Loki said. He wasn't going to get into that with them right now. It was a complex issue and following that train of thought meant admitting that everyone on this ship would be in even more danger if they ever found the individual. He shook his head. 'The latest murder was only a very short time ago, a couple of weeks before Thor came back home. Why again now?'

Thor raised his hands. 'This is a matter for the council. All of it. Loki, please continue the census. Heimdall, please have Heid take care of the body and any potential contamination of the water, and communicate to the people that someone has been killed. I will not keep secrets from my people.' He lowered his voice. 'I will not become my father.'

* * *

 _((The words seiðrmaðr and seiðrkona are spelt most frequently without the centre-r, but the spelling I chose is present enough for me to use it for the sake of Korg's mishearing. They mean the same thing, a person who uses magic, male and female respectively. A völva is a seer and it is a female gendered word, but my use is deliberately neutral. Think of the_ Völuspa _, the predictions of a seer, as the first part of the Edda.))_


	5. The Prophetic Generation

_((Chapter heading comes from the song_ Dreaming _by System of a Down. I've been listening to this on repeat for an hour now. It's one of those days._

 _Also I borrow a few names from the mythology, but entirely without their context. Since Marvel murders people's family ties left, right, and centre, I don't feel too bad.))_

* * *

 _5\. The Prophetic Generation_

Thor knew his plan to let Heid remove the body would end in a major problem the moment he saw it. The water reservoir was a closed system and it didn't have an opening large enough to get a body in or out of it. Sure, there were vents, but they were about as thick as Loki's forearm. His brother must have known that (trust him to study the ship's structure the moment he got here), which was why he had asked in how many pieces they had found the corpse. What Thor had taken for misplaced humour had been a genuine question that made a lot of sense.

Aside from the mystery how a body had got into the tank, Thor was at a complete loss how to get it out. He wasn't certain that Loki could do this without making a major mess they couldn't afford. This was exactly why they needed to do the census and why he hoped that the people volunteered information about their magic. Thor looked at the floating body, mesmerised. 'What do we need more?' he asked. 'The full amount of water in the tank or the quality of it?'

Heid blinked. 'Excuse me?'

'Do we ask Loki if he can get her out, which I suppose he can, and risk that we lose a lot of water in the process because this isn't something he's done as far as I know, or do we wait until we find someone who can do this without wasting water, risking contamination from a rotting corpse in the water.'

'Thor.' Something in her voice told him he'd just made a mistake. He looked at her, and she gestured behind him with her chin.

In a corner there were two boys, mere children. He'd never seen them in his life. 'Who're they and what are they doing here?'

'That last is beyond me. But they're her sons.'

Thor's eyes widened. 'Oh no.' He walked to the com-panel in the wall. 'Loki, drop what you're holding and come down here.' He walked over to the pair. They looked similar enough, but there was at least a year between the two. The taller one gave him a challenging look, while the smaller one seemed to want to shrink into the shadows. 'Hello,' he said, wondering what one was supposed to do in this kind of situation. 'What are you doing here?'

'That's our mother in there,' the bigger one of the two boys said, his voice full of anger. Thor understood him.

'I know.' He swallowed. 'But what brought you here?' The pair exchanged a glance but remained stubbornly silent, obviously upon agreement. 'We'll find who did this,' Thor said. 'We'll find them and we'll see them punished.'

'Are they going to die for this?' Still, the boy's voice was harsh. His brother shot him a brief look but quickly returned to studying his feet.

'We shall see.'

'I want them dead.'

Thor could relate to that. 'I know what it's like to lose your mother. I understand your rage. But I can't tell you now what will happen. Maybe they need help.' Mental illness was rare in Asgardians, but not entirely unheard of.

The boy was about to give him a piece of his mind when the door opened.

Ϡ

Loki stepped into the tank room. The first thing he took in was the body in the water reservoir and Heid standing next to it, looking lost. Then he found Thor standing across from two children. Their expressions as well as Thor's made any explanation who they were redundant. Thor's eyes settled on him, the plea obvious. Loki approached, but before he could address the children, Thor had a hand on his elbow and steered him a little away. 'Can you get her out of there without spilling water?'

Loki grimaced. 'Maybe. I'd rather communicate it to the ship. That we need someone who can.'

'No, leave that to me. Those children …'

'Are hers. I'll get rid of them.'

'Loki, they lost their mother.'

He gave his brother a lingering look. 'So did we.' He broke from Thor's grasp and faced the boys.

'Not him,' the taller one said. 'I don't want to go with him.'

Loki's lips thinned. 'You have no choice. The king has to take care of your mother. After me. Now.' He half expected them to fight back, but they followed him, if grudgingly.

For lack of another place, he brought them into his and Thor's office. 'Your names?'

'We don't want to talk to you.'

'Fine. Do you have any living relatives?' His question was met with silence. 'Look. I don't care why you don't wish to answer, but you'll get rid of me much faster if you cooperate. I cannot just let you go unless I know someone will look after you.'

'I'm Nari,' the smaller boy said. 'He's Fjalar. And we have Aunt Solvi.'

'Solvi hates us,' the taller one said.

'She does not. You just hate her.'

Loki raised his forefinger. 'Quiet.' He used his computer to summon Solvi to his office. 'Your father?' he asked then.

'You murdered him,' Fjalar said, his voice full of venom. 'You probably murdered our mother, too.'

Loki was taken aback by this. 'I have never, to the best of my knowledge, killed an Asgardian.'

Fjalar had his arms folded and remained stubbornly silent, and Nari followed his example.

It didn't take long for a woman to arrive at the office. She was pale, maybe because she suspected that something was amiss. Loki had only seen the body in the tank briefly, but he could see that she was her sister. She had the same flaming red hair, the same longish face. She greeted the boys. Only Nari greeted her back. 'Solvi?' he asked to be certain.

'Yes. How can I serve you?'

There was no way to say if she was mocking him. Loki decided to assume she wasn't. 'You'd better take a seat.' Stiffly, she sat on Thor's chair. 'Your sister has been killed.' If anything, Solvi paled even more. 'Her sons, it seems, found her, or were witnesses to her murder, but they will not speak to me.'

Solvi shook her head. 'Is that true? Did you refuse to answer Loki's questions?'

Fjalar's expression was murderous, which was quite a feat, considering how small he was. He didn't answer her, though.

'Nari told me a bit,' Loki said. 'You will take care of them?'

'Of course. Boys, did you see it?'

'No,' Nari said in a soft voice. 'We came later.'

'Solvi, are those two witches?'

She hesitated. It was a rhetorical question. 'Yes,' she said eventually. 'Like their mother.'

'And you?'

'And me. And my mother. She survived Hela, but she's not healthy.'

Loki leaned forwards. 'Did your sister have enemies, Solvi?'

She shook her head slowly. 'No. She was lovely. I really can't see why anyone would …' She faltered.

'And your relationship?'

She blinked at him. 'You can't possibly think that I hurt her.'

Loki sighed. 'I don't. I don't even think that she was targeted specifically. This isn't the first time something like this happens, and the original victims … Well. You are too young to have been responsible then.' His eyes narrowed. 'Why does Fjalar think that I murdered his father and that you hate them?'

Solvi swore under her breath. 'His father died in Laufey's attack. I swear, none of us ever said anything like that.'

'I believe you.' Witches were observers that couldn't influence what and how much they saw. They rarely judged, knowing how limited their view was. Also, with seeing the most hidden truths came a rather different view of innocence and guilt. At least, once the individuals reached a certain level of maturity.

'And me,' Solvi said, '… well. Their father and I had an affair. Before their birth, and it didn't last long. We were both forgiven, and there was never any bad blood for it.'

'But keeping secrets from two boys with the ability to see the future and the past is impossible.'

'That.'

Loki stood. 'Thank you, Solvi. I need to see how my brother is faring.'

Ϡ

Thor was still where Loki had left him. Heid looked desperate. 'No luck?' Loki asked upon entering.

Thor shook his head. 'You?'

'Left them with their aunt.' He approached the tank. 'I think I might … Well. What's the worst that can happen.'

'Loki …'

Ignoring Thor, he focussed on the body. Doing this to something that had no energy was difficult, but he could do it. He looked, not with his eyes but with a sense deeper than that, learning the shape of the woman. He managed to lock it in place, stop its drifting motion. When nothing, no strand of hair, moved, he took a deep breath. With it, he secluded the body _elsewhere_. To Thor and Heid, it vanished from sight. He held his breath as he shifted the bubbled closer, closer, out of the tank. With a huff, he released his breath and his magic, and she fell out of thin air in a splash of water. It was less than he had feared, the level in the tank almost the same as before.

'How did you do that?' Heid asked.

He looked at her, a smile tugging on his lips. 'Dimensional pocket. Fun stuff.'

Thor eyed him with something that might have been pride. 'Thank you. Now … I need the council to meet. We need to talk.'

Loki nodded slowly, thinking of the revelation that the victim was a witch. This changed everything. 'Indeed we do,' he said softly.


	6. Лиш пам'ятаю колір болю

_((Chapter heading is from the song_ За тобою _(read /_ za toboyu _/), which means_ For You _by Полинове поле (read /Polynove pole/), which means Wormwood field. The chapter heading means_ I only remember the colour of pain _and reads /Lysh pam'yatayu kolir bolyu/.))_

* * *

 _6\. Лиш пам_ _'_ _ятаю колір болю_

Thor was exhausted. The council meeting had been unproductive, but he hadn't expected anything else. They would all be alert. They would all be careful. Loki had been silent throughout, hinting that there was something he knew or guessed but wouldn't say. Thor felt something terribly like suspicion nagging at him. No. He wouldn't suspect his brother. His outrage that someone was murdered had been genuine.

Unable to sleep, Thor walked over to his brother's room and entered without signalling. He found Loki staring out of the large window. 'I thought you'd come.' He turned, his expression serious. 'Do you regret placing me on the council, yet?'

Without offering a verbal answer, Thor walked towards his brother hand pulled him against his chest. He ran his hands over his back, rubbing the tension out of his body. 'No. I don't.' He released him and took his face into his hands. 'Talk to me, Loki. What won't you say? It's not like you.'

Loki licked his lips. 'Thor, what do you know about witches?'

Thor gave a non-committal shrug. 'Precious little aside from what we've established. They're soothsayers. Some are bad at telling true visions from dreams. Some are very good at it. Some have some small amount of magic aside from that. So most likely this is a witch with bad dreams who thinks she's helping by eliminating threats.'

Loki paced in front of Thor. 'That's what I think is the least likely scenario. I didn't contradict because I wanted to think it through before dismissing the option. But … this isn't all there is to them. Some create catalysts that strengthen that little bit of magic to something very powerful indeed. Like Heid, who is not a seiðrkona.'

'She's a witch?'

'Yes. Thor, witches are – or were, I should say – rare. But you can count on a high percentage of them surviving. Their visions would have shown them to safety. And the witches we know about aren't the problem.' He halted. 'One option is that our killer might not even be a witch because the victim was one. Dying, she would have released her energy and someone knowing this could have tapped into that to put her in the tank. That means anyone with the necessary knowledge could do it, myself included. But if this is a witch, they're a serious problem. And fighting a being like that on a spaceship is not something I want to do. Neither do you.'

'What are you saying?'

Loki looked at him squarely. 'Maybe we should leave well enough alone, at least until we are on solid ground.'

'Are you serious?'

'A lot more people might die if they feel we're on to them. Let them kill one or two more before we get to earth, if it even is that many. Their frequency was always very low. You should at least consider to let it go. For now.'

'I can't do that.'

Loki swallowed. 'I knew you'd say that. I had to try.' He took a deep breath and took Thor's hands into his. 'In that case, I will do all in my power to help you find them. But we need to keep a low profile in our search. And once we know who this is, we have to strike suddenly and decisively. Otherwise, we're going to be responsible for every life lost in what is going to be an attempt to capture a ghost.'

'Then tell me how to start.'

'By doing the census and going through it once it's done. I still don't think the killer would tell us what they are, but we cannot rule it out for certain. I also suggest hiring a witch. Look for one that admits to being versatile with her skills.'

'Why?'

'It's like you said. They are little more than soothsayers. And the more different skills the witch in question has, the more their power grows. The more it grows, the more it eats at their mind until all that is left is a half-crazed shell with nothing left but hunger for more power.'

'Do you think Heid …'

'No. She uses a catalyst for her healing. That is harmless. If she could conjure fire and gush water from her hands and cause earthquakes I'd start to worry. It's versatility that is dangerous.'

Thor nodded slowly, his hands still holding Loki's. The last thing he wanted was to be alone right now. 'Question. Can I stay here, tonight?'

'It's your ship.' He smiled. 'What if someone sees you tomorrow? Or looks for you and finds you're not in your quarters?'

'I'll deal with that when I get to it, Loki. I really don't care right now.' He leaned in and brushed his lips over Loki's. 'I'm not ashamed of you.' He lowered his voice. 'I love you. I always did.'

A smile tugged on Loki's lips. 'Why don't you prove it, dearest brother?'

Ϡ

Loki drifted to wakefulness slowly. He felt a warm body pressed against his back and a smile formed on his face. Thor's arm was around him, his hand resting on his belly. This was new. They had slept together before, but never literally. He'd expected Thor to head back to his own room after their lovemaking and had been amazed when instead he'd snuggled against Loki, holding him close. Also, Thor had been surprisingly gentle. More than Loki ever remembered him being. Thor had been rough as a young man – not brutal, but too focussed on himself to look after someone else's needs beyond the bare minimum. He had changed. He had become a man fit to rule and someone who would be a wonderful, considerate lover and partner. To whom … Loki didn't allow himself to think that he'd be at Thor's side for good, no matter how much he might want that. The truth was, the thought that Thor would touch someone else like this was painful.

Loki shook that thought off and took Thor's hand. He brought it to his lips, kissing it gently. Thor gave a hum, telling him he was awake, and Loki turned around to face him. 'Good morning,' he said quietly. 'It is still very early. You could probably make it to your room unseen.' Instead, Thor held him tighter. Warmth settled in Loki's groin and he pressed his lips to Thor's, kissing him softly. Powerful hands started to roam down his back, moving further along his crack. Infinitely gently, Thor's fingers massaged the soft flesh behind his balls, and Loki groaned into his mouth.

He only heard the signal at the door when Thor withdrew his hands. 'Can we ignore them?' he asked.

Thor chuckled. 'We could, but you wouldn't be able to concentrate and I want your undivided attention.'

Loki glared at him. 'I hate when you're right.' Reluctantly, he got out of bed and covered himself. He stalked to the door and opened it, knowing full well what sort of sight he offered. 'What?' he barked.

The woman in front of him wasn't someone he could pin a name on. She barely looked at him, her expression blank. 'We couldn't find the king, and …'

'Leave that to me. What do I tell him?'

'He'd best see this for himself. In the engine room.' The woman walked away and Loki closed the door.

'You heard that, I suppose,' Loki said.

Thor nodded. He'd slipped into his clothes but he still looked ruffled and flushed. He also looked tired, despite that. Loki had a sneaking suspicion he hadn't slept much before that night. He fought down a wave of protectiveness for him. Thor could take care of himself.

'Thor, would you like me to come with you?' he offered. He expected being waved away with swagger.

Instead, Thor contemplated him for a few seconds. 'Yes. I'd like that.'

Loki kept a close look on Thor. This was new. Thor had trusted him completely when they were young, but he had never relied on him. Not so much because he hadn't been certain Loki would be there but because he was so convinced he didn't need anyone. If that changed, if Thor put some of the weight on his shoulders … it was what he had wanted, but it frightened him no less. So far, he could have left. But he wasn't certain if he had it in himself to abandon a Thor who actually let him know he was needed. Had he always been needed? Had it merely taken all that time for his brother to show him? If so, every single one of Loki's betrayals suddenly meant something. It wasn't a pleasant thought to linger on.

Before Thor could sweep through the door, Loki stopped him with a hand on his arm. 'What do we expect?' he asked.

Thor had obviously not thought about it. 'You tell me.'

'That woman. She was acting strangely. Maybe because she was afraid of me, but I hardly had the impression she registered me. She delivered her message and when she was done, she walked off.' He frowned. 'I have seen mind control before.'

Thor's lips twitched. 'Of course you have. You've used it.'

'Which doesn't change the fact that I recognise it when I see it. She was sent, and she wasn't asked nicely.'

'Our witch.'

'Possibly. I prefer to think so, because if it's not, we have two problems.'

'There is still the chance that we'll find a surprise party in there,' Thor said vaguely.

'Hold on to that hope as long as you can.'

Thor gave Loki a meaningful look and opened the door.

The cloying stench that assaulted him would have turned a weaker man's stomach. But Loki had seen too much in his life to be so easily ruffled.

The engine room was cast in a dim light and it was cool. At first, Loki saw nothing out of order. He breathed flatly through his mouth, hoping to mitigate the offensive smell. It was a mix of blood and something worse. His wandering gaze brushed over a shadow near a large tank full of what he assumed might be fuel.

Thor had seen it, too. His hand closed around Loki's and he interlocked their fingers as he approached. Loki clung back, his heart beating wildly.

He had expected to find a body. No room could smell so much of blood without one. But he hadn't been prepared for such a gruesome amount of damage.

Her grey hair was caked with blood. In fact, she looked like she had been bathed in it. Her skin was littered with small cuts where it wasn't covered by her clothes. What colour they'd had originally was a mystery, but now they, too, were soaked in blood. 'She died in such agony she lost control over her body,' he said. 'What of, I cannot say.'

'Heid will tell us,' Thor said hoarsely. 'Do you know who she is?'

Loki shook his head. 'I haven't the faintest idea. But I can tell you one thing. This wasn't like the last one. This one was personal.'


	7. We Live for Today but We Die for the Nex

_((I'm going to see_ Infinity War _on May 5. Since all this is happening before it – and that includes the end – and because I know where I'm going with this, the story itself will not be influenced._

 _The chapter heading is a line from_ Honor for All _, the outro of_ Dishonored _, which I love something fierce._

 _On a completely unrelated note, capitalisation in chapter headings is probably the one thing in the English language that will always confuse me.))_

* * *

 _7\. We Live for Today but We Die for the Next_

Heid was colourless as her hands hovered over the body, trying to gauge what had happened to the poor soul and when. Who she was she had known, and since that realisation she was white as a sheet. She had yet to tell them, but immediately after saying she knew her, she had set to work and the brothers hadn't wanted to interrupt her focus. Loki felt out of place. He wanted to leave, to run away. But Thor was almost as pale as Heid and he kept close, communicating without words that he needed him and Loki found that his legs refused to follow the command to turn and walk away from all this. Instead, he placed a hand between Thor's shoulder blades, and when he didn't move away, started rubbing small circles. Thor leaned into his hand, relaxing somewhat. 'Thanks,' he said softly. For what, Loki knew. Being there.

At last, Heid lowered her hands. For a few moments she closed her eyes. 'Asphyxiation,' she said simply. 'Not through physical violence.' She lowered her voice. 'Strange. There was enough of that, but it wasn't to kill her.'

'Are we sure she wasn't just strangled? Can you make anything out, given her state?'

Heid nodded. 'Enough to tell that she wasn't restrained at all. She held still through this. All of this.'

Thor stared at the uncountable cuts. 'How?'

'Because,' Loki said, 'she was controlled. By someone with amazing mental powers. This is not easy. And it must have been a witch. At least we are certain about that now.'

'Who was she,' Thor asked.

Heid wide eyes stared into nothing. 'The grandmother of the boys whose mother was killed before.'

'Oh no.' Thor's voice was soft.

'I believe,' Loki said, 'we should talk to Solvi again.'

'You think it was her?'

Loki shrugged. 'No. But I think there's something she's not saying. I'd like you to be there. Maybe she'll have a harder time lying to her king.'

'So you don't think we should wait this out anymore?'

Loki ignored him. 'When did she die, Heid?'

'In the early hours of dawn. Well. What passes for that on the ship.'

His expression hardened. 'Ah. Might I ask what the rest of the council talked about after Thor and I left? You lingered. I'm sure there was something.' Heid avoided his gaze. 'You wondered if it was me, didn't you? I bet you everyone on this ship does.'

'I don't!' Thor said emphatically. 'I didn't before, and now I can confirm it because you were with me at that time.'

'That's just it, though.' Loki looked at him. 'Someone knew I was with you. They did it when I have the perfect alibi. So there are two options what the intention is. Maybe it's both, even.'

Heid's grim smile told him her mind was going along with his. 'They want to discredit Thor. If he protects you, this will breed doubt. If he doesn't, it drives a wedge between you, weakening him just as much because you as an ally are an incredible asset.'

'That is one of the two,' Loki said. 'The other is worse than that and the reason we have to act. They want to be found and will keep killing until they are.'

'That makes no sense,' Thor said.

Heid snorted. It was entirely without humour. 'Oh, it does. We're not talking about someone sane.'

Loki indicated the body. 'This was the cruellest murder I've seen in my life. This person wants credit.'

'Credit?' Thor's voice cracked. 'Credit for this? Expecting … what? Praise?'

'Perhaps even that,' Loki said softly. 'More likely, it's just about attention. This is someone who feels they ought to be wielding power. Thor, the best thing for you to do is not to reveal that I have to be innocent. Protect your credibility, get me out of the council officially. No, listen. They're trying to mess with you. It's time you start messing with them instead.'

Heid nodded fervently. 'Maybe he's right. Loki, you're our best shot at getting answers, I think, and we need both of you on this. We can't put you in the brig.'

'Whoa!' Thor's voice was becoming thunderous. 'I won't even consider …'

'Shut up,' Loki barked. 'Listen to us. This ship has no room that can hold me against my will anyway. But you have to play along.'

'But if who did this knows that you were with me …'

'They do,' Loki said. 'The ship does not.'

'Then they should.' He took Loki's hands. 'Let them know, Loki. I told you last night. I am not ashamed of you.'

'They wouldn't believe you! They'd say you protect your brother.' He swallowed. 'Your lover.'

'I'm their king.'

Loki grabbed Thor's shoulders. He barely held himself from shaking some sense into him. 'Yes. And you need to stay that.'

'There is one problem with that plan,' Heid said. 'It will alert them to you. If you act the way they intend, they'll feel a lot safer than if you start showing that you see through their plan. If that is, indeed, what it was.'

Thor nodded slowly. 'Here's a thought. We're going to discuss this. I will reveal the truth – all of it – to the council. I would also like to bring in Solvi.'

'Seat her before a tribunal of Asgard's finest,' Loki said. 'Should convince her to talk.'

'Exactly.' He shook his head. 'No. Whatever you say, whatever the others will say, I will not allow you to be blamed for this, even as an act. If I do this, even if we catch the real culprit, a foul taste will linger with some people. If my standing needs to be protected, so does yours.' He looked at Heid. 'And there is something else. My friend. The Hulk. I need you to help him change. If there is anyone in your department who can do that … He's got one hell of a brain and I need him on the council. Yesterday.'

'Well, in the widest sense, his affliction is a disease and I might be able to help, at least temporarily,' Heid said quietly. 'Will he trust me?'

Thor nodded. 'Tell him I sent you. Be careful and if he won't work with you, don't push but call me. Just don't tell him what you're trying to do. Tell him you mean to bolster him. Join us after talking to him. Loki … we're summoning the rest. Right now.'

Ϡ

It took almost half an hour until the council – except Heid – was assembled. Thor studied his hands until they had all settled, acknowledging each one of them with a nod. 'Sorry for the short notice,' he said. 'There has been another murder. Heid will join us in a little while, but she knows all of this.' He sighed. 'We believe that this person wants to discredit me in the eyes of our people. To what end … we're not sure.' He frowned. 'In case anyone is wondering but won't ask until after I have left the room, Loki was with me at the time it happened. He was with me all night.'

Valkyrie's eyes narrowed. 'What do you mean, he was with you all night? Doing what?'

Gullveig snorted. 'Unless you want details, that's a very daft question.'

'I'm sorry,' Korg said, 'but aren't you … I mean, is it common for Asgardians to you know …' He made a flailing gesture that could only reference something sexual with a lot of imagination. 'With siblings?'

'We're not related,' Thor said simply. 'And it's not up for debate. I don't care about your opinions. Regarding this at least.'

Heimdall gave him a long look. 'I admit that I watched Loki's movement. I can attest that he did not leave his room last night.'

'Good, that will have more weight than the word of his lover.'

'I would not tell the people that at all, Thor.' Heimdall's voice was calm as ever. 'Tell them you know he was elsewhere, tell them I am witness to it, but I don't think they should know about the nature of your relationship at this point. If you want it known when all this is over, it will be something entirely different.'

'He's right,' Loki said quietly. 'This is ideal.'

'What I want to make very clear,' Thor said, 'is that Loki remains on this council. I will not give this monster an inch of room by succumbing to pressure.'

Heimdall nodded slowly. 'I agree. You would show your hand.'

There was a soft knock on the door. 'Come in,' Thor called.

Inside stepped Heid, her expression schooled carefully. It didn't last long before her face was filled with pride. 'I bring you Solvi. She came to me herself.' She ushered the woman inside. Solvi was clutching a piece of paper in white hands. 'Oh, and of course there's the other thing,' Heid said way too casually. She threw the door open wide.

Behind her, wide-eyed and uncomfortable in his pale skin, stood Bruce Banner. His searching eyes found Thor. He pointed an accusing finger at him. 'What the hell is going on here?'


	8. Remember This

_((Chapter heading is a song by the Flying Pickets. This is relatively short because I want what happens next un-torn.))_

* * *

 _8\. Remember This_

The piece of paper Solvi had brought with her passed from one member of the council to the next. Bruce stared at it, mouthing silently, his expression one huge question mark. Once Loki got hold of it, he wondered if he looked any more sophisticated.

 _Our Leaders. Odin, the Allfather, who left slaughter as a legacy. Hela, who went through our people like a blade through water. Loki, who made us vulnerable with his vanity. Thor, who ordered the destruction of our soil. This soil that gave all of us our strength, our magic. We are dwindling, bound to become lost and insignificant unless we return to one of our realms very soon, root ourselves there. Not as supplicants, but as the rightful owners. We need to take the lead ourselves, from the incompetent hands of a self-proclaimed nobility that has failed our people for millennia._

He passed it on to Valkyrie. Her expression was one of disgust as she handed it to Gullveig, who was the last person to see it. 'And what is that, exactly?' Valkyrie asked, giving voice to the question they'd all asked themselves.

'The words of one very unhappy citizen,' Gullveig answered. 'Our murderer, you think?'

Solvi blinked at her and nodded.

Gullveig placed the paper at the centre of the table and scowled at it as if that helped.

'It's not the first one,' Solvi said, at last finding her voice. 'My sister got one, our mother did, too.'

Loki wanted to whack her over the head. 'And after the first person in your family died after receiving that, you saw no reason to bring us the second message? Only now that it's your own hide you speak up? Fine family to have.'

Thor opened his mouth but kept his peace after a moment of consideration. 'He's got a point, you know,' he said eventually.

'I couldn't bring them because … well, there it goes.' With a soft puff, the note turned to dust and then to nothing.

'Now that is interesting,' Loki said softly. 'Powerful. Our witch can control minds, disintegrate matter, teleport people and possibly themselves, and who knows what else. Heid, what exactly is in your repertoire?'

'Healing,' Heid said in a low voice. 'Only the body. I touch and all is well, but I never can tell what was wrong.'

'Solvi?'

'I … ah. My magic and that of my family is very physical. I can restrain you. I can shove you so hard you go through the wall, breaking it but not a bone in your body.' She swallowed. 'It's not just that. Mother had a vision that scared her. She wouldn't tell me what it was.'

Gullveig's gaze was glued to where the paper had been. 'She saw her killer,' she said coolly. 'And her killer must be able to map all of our thoughts. A little like Heimdall, but mainly the mind. She saw that she was being observed and removed the threat.'

'Are you a witch, too?' Loki asked. He knew his face wouldn't show what he had noticed and his mother had taught him how to protect his thoughts. He'd talk to Thor later. Gullveig didn't have the feel of a witch, but some of them were hard to sense if they had learned to mask their auras.

Heid snorted and Gullveig shot her a glare. 'No. But I grew up with one. I know a bit how they work.'

'Gullveig has about as much magic as this table,' Heid said.

'Well. Do we know this table _doesn't_ have magic?' Korg mused. He rapped his knuckles on it, making a dent. 'Oh. Sorry.'

'Can we please, _please_ focus here?' Bruce's voice somewhere between exasperation and despair. 'Why am I sitting here? How could I possibly be any use in all this talk of magic and witches? Thor, do you plan to drive me completely mad? Is that it?'

'No. No, I am so sorry.' Thor swallowed thickly, his eyes wide and concerned. 'But I cannot figure this out. This killer has been active for ages, but rarely. Now this? I can't make any sense of it. Why not kill every few centuries but all the time now?'

'Well, they told us, didn't they.' Bruce shrugged. 'Their magic needed Asgardian soil. Now it's gone, they went off the deep end and kill all the more.'

'That is absurd,' Loki said. 'The soil? What witch that is any use draws from soil? It's the worst possible catalyst.'

'It can't even be a catalyst,' Heid said. 'A catalyst must be something you carry on your skin.'

'Which makes soil rather impractical. But maybe they think they physically needed it. And now they draw from the dying energy of her victims.'

'But how do we identify them?' Valkyrie demanded.

'And what do we do with them once we've got them?' Heimdall asked more quietly.

'We kill them,' Loki answered. 'They are mad, out of control, and they cannot be saved.'

'He's right,' Heid said quickly. 'A witch that's gone so far, you cannot bring them back from this.'

Thor shook his head. 'This leads us nowhere. Solvi, we have to know all you can tell us. Did anyone in your family ever get into a major altercation?'

'I have nothing more to tell.' Her voice was getting shrill. She was close to panicking. 'Don't you think I would if I knew anything?'

Thor was clearly prepared to let it go, but if they wanted answers, this woman was the start. Loki rose and walked towards her. He watched her shrink in her chair. Before, she hadn't seemed to mind him, but apparently that had been a façade. She feared him. He turned the chair she occupied and braced himself against the armrests. He ignored that the others on the council stared at him. He ignored that Thor, too, had risen, torn between trusting and telling him to take it easy. 'Listen to me,' Loki said. His face was inches from hers, crowding her into her chair. 'Apparently this isn't obvious to you, but it is very clear to me. You have a powerful enemy. Not just you, your entire family. You let your sister die. You let your mother die. You are willing to get yourself killed and you know who will be next. The two boys. Because I very much doubt that whoever is picking your family off one by one will stop short of them.'

Solvi's eyes were wide and a pearl of sweat appeared on her forehead. 'I tried to find out from my mother. She was very vague, but she said it's someone in power.' She swallowed. 'Not powerful. In power. So my apologies if I don't trust any of you.'

Loki let go of her chair and nodded. 'That's a start. Not one I like, though.' He stood straight again. 'Thor. A word if you don't mind.'

With a wary expression, Thor came to him. Loki guided him a little further away from the rest into the corner by his elbow. 'If you truly do not mind people talking, I suggest I clear out of my quarters and move into yours. I'd put Solvi and the children next to us. We could interfere faster if they are attacked.'

Thor didn't hesitate for a moment. 'Do it.' He gestured at Solvi. 'Clear out of your rooms. Loki will show you to a new one. Do not tell anyone where you are. Heimdall … keep an eye on them.'

'I will.'

Loki kept a hand on Thor's arm and leaned close, his voice very quiet. 'I'll go and make space at once. And I need to talk to you alone as soon as you can make it. Take a lead from Solvi, brother. Do not trust anyone, speak to no-one before we get a chance. I may have our answer.'


	9. Lay Me to Waste

_((Chapter heading is taken from the song_ No Compliance _by Delain._

 _Tomorrow is a holiday where I am. Which means there's a chance I'll complete this before seeing_ Infinity War _. I know what I want to do, after all, I just have to get the words out of my head into the computer._

 _Depending on what happens in the movie, I may continue. I have a few notes for a possible sequel, but they are as vague as you'd expect from someone who knows nothing and fears everything.))_

* * *

 _9\. Lay Me to Waste_

Thor watched his brother go and wondered what on earth he was talking about. 'Well,' he said. 'Heid, Korg, I want you to go through the data we have so far from the census. List me everyone in a position of power. Anyone that functions as a teacher, as a head of some department, anyone leading a bloody choir. I want that today.' He watched them all file out, Solvi looking thoroughly defeated. He stopped her, Heimdall, and Bruce Banner before they could get out of the room. 'Solvi, come back here as soon as you can. Heimdall, please escort her until she's back with me.'

'Of course,' Heimdall said. 'There is something I noticed during the meeting. I would like to bring it to your attention.' There was a soft knock behind Thor. Gullveig was standing in the doorframe. Heimdall turned his attention to Solvi. 'After you. If you can spare a moment later …'

'Yes. Everyone gets their moment. First Solvi. I'll talk to you in an hour or so.' He rubbed the bridge of his nose. 'One moment, Gullveig, and I'm all yours. Bruce … how are you? Are you all right?'

Bruce sighed deeply. 'Confused, tired, weirded out … What exactly is happening? Why would anyone go and murder your people? There aren't that many left.'

Thor shook his head slowly. 'I really don't want to drag you into this, but I need your brain. I can't figure this out and I doubt Loki can. He tried before.'

'You sure this isn't him?'

'I trust Loki with my life.'

'You said yourself he wanted to kill you since you were little.'

Thor's lips twitched. 'Yeah. He tried. But if he'd succeeded, he'd have been completely devastated. No, it doesn't make sense. Loki rarely does. Bruce, if this is too much for you …'

He ran a hand over his pale face. 'No. I'll help you. As soon as I get my own head figured out.'

Thor patted his arm. 'Thanks. I appreciate it. I really do. Now go. Rest as much as you need, take your time.' He opened his arms wide and looked at Gullveig. 'So. Ideas?'

'I believe that unless we solve this quickly, people will rebel. Information about the murders has been leaked, and …'

'Whoa.' Thor raised his hands and grinned. 'It wasn't leaked. I asked Heid to tell our people. I don't want to build my reign on lies. Maybe it's unwise. I don't know.'

Gullveig smiled. 'It may look that way. In the long run, it will serve you well. We are lucky to have you as our King. I can imagine no-one better.'

Thor sighed. He felt drained. 'Look, Gullveig, I appreciate it. I really do. But I think I need to take a moment.' In fact, he felt almost drunk. He managed to get a grip, but whatever this was, Gullveig had noticed. Her dark brown eyes were large and full of worry as she put a hand on his arm, steadying him.

'Thor, are you well?'

'Yes.'

'Are you sure? I could call my sister …'

'No. No need, but thanks.' He frowned. 'You know, maybe I'll go see her later. But first I need to settle this mess.' There were things he had to do. Right now.

Ϡ

It hadn't taken long for Loki to clear his belongings out of his room and find space from them in Thor's. He hadn't brought much. None of them had, but Thor and he had literally escaped with nothing but the clothes they wore. Some of the refugees had at least managed to grab a few spare things. The good news was that this ship held supplies that included clothes. He liked the outfit from Sakaar for his office, but it wasn't the most comfortable thing to wear.

Waiting for Thor, even if his brother was just in the next room, was a test for his patience. If nothing went wrong now, this could be over today.

The door opened, revealing Thor and behind him, Solvi, Fjalar, and Nari. 'Solvi, please go next door with the boys,' Thor said. 'The room is yours.'

Loki walked over to his brother, smiling despite the seriousness of their problems. Just being near him made him feel at home. 'Tell me, Thor, did you notice anyone saying something peculiar?' Thor looked at him and Loki's skin started to crawl. He couldn't point his finger at it, but there was something in Thor's eyes that put him on high alert. 'Thor?' Thor's eyebrows pulled up in the centre, his expression desperate and pleading. With him? 'Thor, please say something.' His next words were very quiet. 'You're frightening me.'

'I didn't push you. I'd never.' The words were soft and came with a rush of air that gave his voice a feeble quality it didn't normally possess.

Loki blinked and tried to put the words into any context. He failed. Badly. 'What?'

'I would never have pushed you off the bridge.'

Loki took a step backwards. 'I … I know. I let go, I blamed you because …'

Thor didn't listen. His eyes were glazed, staring at something in front of him, something that wasn't there. Certainly not something Loki could see. 'I hated the muzzle, but I had to, I had to.'

'Thor, I know our laws. This is water under the bridge.'

'I should have reassured you. Told you that I'd never let them lay hand on you, hurt you … If you had been executed …'

'Thor, look, I'm aware …'

'And my promise to bring you back to the cell … And abandoning your body. I deserve it. You are right.'

His words did nothing, Loki knew. He covered the distance between them, placing him at the point that Thor was staring at. 'Look at me, look at my face, Thor.' He filled his voice with a little of his magic, something that should penetrate whatever vision was plaguing him. If he'd had the mind stone … but that thought was mute. His own abilities were all he had at his disposal.

It was as if he wasn't there. Thor's focus was on the apparition that existed in his mind alone, backing away from Loki so he couldn't touch him. Lunging at his brother seemed like a bad move, so Loki stayed put. 'I broke your heart in the lift on Sakaar,' Thor continued his rant of self-torment. 'I sent you on a suicide mission in Asgard. It's only right. Kill me, Loki, my life is yours.'

Loki moved towards him again but something powerful jerked him back. Solvi stood in the doorway staring, one arm stretched out, her palm facing him. 'He was right, then,' she said. 'He said you'd hurt him!'

Loki had landed hard on his backside and tried to get back on his feet. 'Let me go, Solvi, he needs help.' He might not be able to offer any, but if he could touch him, maybe he could break through this mess.

'From you? Hardly.'

Eyes glued on his brother, his love, Loki struggled against the powerful hold of a völva's magic. 'He'll hurt himself, Solvi! I didn't do this to him, I mean to save him.' Solvi seemed torn. Thor had somehow got hold on a knife and Loki panicked. Still fighting, he felt something warm trickle from his nose. If she didn't relent and if he kept fighting he could seriously harm himself. But he couldn't let go. 'Please, please, stop him!' He reached one hand out and the knife jerked from Thor's hand into his. He threw it behind himself, far out of harm's way. 'Let me …'

Solvi swore, and Loki lurched forwards as her hold on him broke. He used the momentum to catapult himself to Thor. He took his hands in his, securing them. 'Thor, look at me. I don't want you to be sorry for any of this. It's done, and it wasn't your fault.'

Thor's eyes met his. Slowly the despair faded. Loki dared to let go of his hands and cup his face instead. 'Are you with me?' He got a brief nod and sighed with relief. He pressed his lips to his forehead before he let himself slump to the ground next to Thor, putting one hand on his chest. 'You scared me, Thor.'

Thor's gaze remained on him. The shadow sat still behind them, and Loki's blood ran cold. This wasn't over. Thor's next words confirmed that. 'Go to the greenhouse and stay there. Consider yourself under arrest. If you leave, I'll give Heimdall and Valkyrie's people orders to kill you. You will be tried for attempting to murder me. And this time the sentence won't be life in a cell.'

Solvi gasped. 'Your majesty …'

Loki picked himself up from the ground and dusted himself off. He walked over to her. 'No use. Tell Heimdall I'm in the greenhouse and need to talk with him. Leave the room you just settled in and go somewhere else. Tell no one. Not me, and certainly not Thor. Hide. You're in danger, and we cannot protect you right now.' He looked down at Thor. He knew it was pointless, but he had to try. 'Brother, look into yourself. Harming you is the last thing I'd want. Surely, you'll find that knowledge in your heart.'

'You just tried to kill me and Solvi will be my witness,' Thor said. 'Why I ever thought I could trust you is beyond me. You want my throne as you always did.'

Every single word caused a world of pain. It wasn't Thor. This wasn't what he thought. Loki knew this, but it didn't help as much as it should. 'Look. This is exactly why I wanted to talk to you. Only I was too late. You're being controlled. You need to fight it.' He swallowed. 'I know you don't believe me. But I do have absolute confidence that at the end, your love for me will be stronger than anyone messing with you. I'm going without a fight. Because if you managed to hurt me, you'd never forgive yourself later.'


	10. Kann mich nicht rühr'n, kann dich nur bi

_((Chapter heading is a line from the song_ Teach me War _by ASP. It translates to_ Cannot move at all, can only ask you _._

 _Also I have currently got two ways this story can end. That depends largely on what happens in_ Infinity War _and whether or not I have to write a sequel. But apart from what is probably the very last scene, I know what I'll do.))_

* * *

 _10\. Kann mich nicht rühr'n, kann dich nur bitten_

Thor should have felt relieved when he was finally alone. But the closed door seemed to choke the will from him. He walked to the desk. There was a beautiful and very valuable pen Loki had wheedled out of a reluctant Korg on his first visit to him in his function as the quartermaster. Silvertongue … He picked it up and felt the sting of tears. There was a burning wound where his brother had been. But this was one betrayal to many, attempting to drive him into suicide by forcing himself upon his mind.

He closed his eyes and for one moment, like an image on the inside of his lids, he saw Loki sitting on the ground, one arm reaching towards him, his face a mask of terror. Thor shook himself. As if Loki had ever been terrified in his life.

He had to call in the council. They would discuss what Loki had done. He would be sentenced to die. And even though Thor's heart bled, he knew he had to do it. His brother was a threat to everyone on this ship.

Ϡ

The ship truly had no room that could hold Loki against his will. But what good was the fact that he could walk away when there was nowhere he was wanted? He had options. Several options.

He could keep himself out of sight, even from Heimdall. He had done it before, he could do it again. When they reached their destination, he could slink away in silence.

He could refuse to obey Thor's order and let Heimdall kill him. There was a certain allure to that thought. He had felt it before and he knew it wasn't healthy. But he had grown from there, had become strong enough to push the call of despair back into the depths of his soul where it came from. This wasn't over and he would not die and leave Thor to deal with the grief once he came around.

And last, he could use the Tesseract to get off the ship and away. He might return later, whenever. Or not. These were not technically his people. For what it was worth, he could go to Jotunheim and claim the throne. It was his. He could be a King.

'I didn't expect you to be here.'

Loki jumped and turned to the door. 'Ah, Heimdall. Well, speaking of expectations, I expected it to take longer before my sentence is passed.'

Heimdall shook his head. 'I would like to hear your version of the story.'

'What, you do not believe your King? Isn't that treason, Heimdall?' When his provocation wasn't heeded, Loki closed his eyes and shook his head. 'What do you want?'

'Answers. Like I said.' Heimdall closed the door behind himself. 'Someone got into Thor's head, didn't they?'

'Yes.'

'Any idea who?'

Loki looked at him. 'You wouldn't believe me if I told you.'

'Heid.'

Loki's mouth fell open. 'You noticed what Gullveig said.'

'She talked about the killer as if she knew it's a woman, which we didn't.'

Shaking off his mental paralysis, Loki approached him. 'And Gullveig is protecting her sister at all costs. But she slipped up.'

Heimdall nodded. 'I don't believe you tried to hurt our King.'

Loki looked away. 'Thanks.'

'But you need to stay here for now. Who knows what she'll do if we force her hand?'

'Kill Thor. She might do that anyway.' Loki balled his hands into fist. 'If she does, I'll show her pain the likes of which she cannot imagine in her wildest dreams.'

Heimdall's eyes seemed to search Loki's very soul. 'You brother loves you. He will remember that. But you have to be aware that he has a duty to his people.'

Punching Heimdall seemed very tempting, but Loki refrained. 'I know he's going to find his queen eventually. And I will step aside when that day comes. Until then … I will take what he offers.'

'You're going to get hurt.'

Loki swallowed. 'That I will.'

The tall Asgardian slowly shook his head. 'Prepare yourself for that day. It may not be coming for a very long time yet. For now, we should focus on the problem at hand. It seems right now Heid is content wielding the power by having him ensorcelled. When that changes, we'll be out of time.'

'We have to do something well before, then.'

Heimdall opened his mouth and closed it. 'Oh no.'

'What? Is it Thor?'

'No.' He looked at Loki. 'Change of plans. Come with me.'

'This is treason.'

His expression grim, Heimdall glanced at Loki. 'Wouldn't be a first, would it?'

Ϡ

Loki was about to tell Heimdall he didn't believe him that this had nothing to do with his brother, when the guardian stopped in the middle of nowhere. 'Oh dear. Here they come.'

Loki wasn't certain what he expected, but it wasn't Fjalar and Nari. They skidded to a halt in front of him. Nari looked frightened. Fjalar grabbed Loki's sleeves. 'Aunt Solvi,' he said. 'She's …'

Loki took Fjalar's hands into one of his and placed the other on top of his head. 'Heimdall, you go to her. I'll take care of the boys.' To Loki's eternal surprise, Heimdall walked away to follow his order without question. He shook off his amazement and directed his attention to the two boys. 'I understand. Come with me, I will hide you. If you trust me.'

'Thor tried hiding us.'

'He isn't me.' He should have known that Solvi wouldn't leave. Not that Loki thought for a moment that Thor had anything to do with this, but he had probably persuaded her to stay. He hoped he was wrong. When this was over, he would eat himself up with guilt.

'We trust you,' Nari said. 'Aunt Solvi said you saved Thor's life.'

'Well, then let me save yours now.' Walking briskly, Loki brought the children down to the lower levels of the ship. Before they got close to the armoury, he stopped. 'Take my hands. You will not see me or each other, but we need to get inside the next door. Make no sound, touch no-one, and don't let go of each other. If you do lose contact, we're going through the door Korg stands next to, all the way to the last room on the left. You will hide there and only come out at night. You can grab food and anything you need then, but you need to stay put during the day at all times. Crawl into the ventilation if anyone gets close to your room. Hide until I pick you up. No-one else can know you are there.' He tried to sound reassuring. 'We'll talk once we're there. All right?'

The boys nodded and Loki hid them all from sight. They kept clutching at his hands all the way, Nari gently and Fjalar with an almost painful grip. They got past Korg without much effort. The room he had brought the boys to held broken furniture. It would do for now. It had to. 'Listen. I know how this feels.'

Fjalar opened his mouth and would have shouted if Nari hadn't had the presence of mind to cover his brother's mouth with a hand. 'You don't know anything!' Fjalar hissed at him once Nari let go of him.

Loki gave him a lingering look. 'I have lost my family, too. Like you, all I have left is my brother.' He didn't mention that that, too, was in the balance. 'I know exactly what it's like. To have no power to save those you love.'

'You still don't.' Tears of rage were running from Fjalar's eyes. 'I told her I wished she was dead and Mother alive.'

Loki nodded slowly. 'What child would not prefer their mother to an aunt they had little to do with?'

'We didn't have little to do with her,' Nari said in a small voice. 'We just …' He fell silent and looked away. 'We were so angry.'

Loki clicked his tongue. 'Tell me the truth, Fjalar. Did you love Solvi?' The boy nodded, bottom lip trembling. A small smile formed on Loki's face. 'Then she knew. Believe me that. She knew what you truly felt. Your words, they may have hurt her, but she knew she had your heart.'

'Why would you think that?'

Loki stood up straight. 'Because,' he said, 'if I'm wrong, my own Mother didn't know what she meant to me when she was taken from me, and I refuse to accept that. Now keep safe. I will come and get you soon. I promise.'


	11. Till My Knees Bend

_((The chapter heading comes from_ Sever _by Delain.))_

* * *

 _11\. Till My Knees Bend_

 _'_ _Focus. What do you sense?'_

 _'_ _Boredom.'_

 _'_ _Thor.' His mother's reprimand was gentle and the reward – Loki's rolled eyes with a hidden smile – was beautiful. Thor grinned, failing to hide his delight that he could bring joy to his brother. 'You will one day be King. You need to protect yourself. There are more ways to hurt someone than with a sword.'_

 _'_ _I can't do it. It's … how do I concentrate on something if I don't know it's there?'_

 _'_ _I'll protect him,' Loki said. 'I'll make sure no-one gets Thor.'_

 _Frigga sighed. 'My boys. Come here.' She extended her arms and put one around each of her sons, crouching to be on their eyelevel. 'Look, Loki, you need to be able to fight someone who rushes you with a blade. And Thor … you need to be able to guard your mind. You cannot always be there to deflect any attack aimed at the other.' Loki looked like he was going to argue, but Frigga shut him up with a minute shake of her head. 'Wouldn't you prefer if he could look out for himself? What if you are travelling and come home to find your brother chained to the mind of a malevolent person?'_

 _'_ _I'd kill them,' Loki said simply._

 _'_ _That might not help. You know that.'_

 _Loki looked away, then at his brother. 'Come on, Thor, it's not difficult.'_

 _'_ _You do it, then.' A foolish challenge because Loki did it every single time. Once, he had even caught their mother off guard and reflected her gentle attack back at her, almost managing to make her fulfil the mental order she had given him._

 _Frigga placed a hand on Loki's forehead, and he closed his eyes briefly. He opened them again and shrugged. He hadn't done anything, which meant he had shaken off her command, something simple like_ pick up an item and carry it elsewhere _._

 _Frigga nodded. 'Good. Now you, Thor.' She placed her hand on his head and he felt the whisper of her mind, but the message was elusive. He stood and walked to a chair, stepped onto it and started dancing. Loki struggled to keep a straight face for about four seconds before he burst into laughter._

 _Thor faltered and went beet red. Only when the influence was taken away he could realise that he had done something ridiculous. He glared at Loki. 'Shut up,' he said. Loki only howled with more laughter and Thor felt a surge of anger. He ran towards him and would have tackled him if their mother hadn't stopped him just before he could collide with him. At the same time a surge of cold burst from Loki, putting a fine layer of frost on his nose._

 _'_ _Enough! Both of you.'_

 _'_ _He's going to tell everyone how I'm too stupid to fight off magic!'_

 _'_ _Like you tell everyone I'm too weak to hold a sword!' Loki yelled back._

 _'_ _Boys!' Frigga hadn't shouted, but they both looked back at her. 'You both have your strengths, and if you taunt each other and reveal your brother's weaknesses, you're not doing anyone a favour. Do you want your friends to beat your brother bloody, Thor?'_

 _Thor's eyes flew wide. 'No. Of course not.'_

 _'_ _Loki, do you want someone with the ability make your brother walk into the cold at night and leave him until we find him frozen half to death?'_

 _'_ _What? No!'_

 _'_ _Then look after each other. I know you two love each other dearly. Why are you both so unwilling to show it?'_

 _Loki's gaze shifted to Thor's. He didn't say a word, but the look on his face was a whole host of apologies. Thor swallowed and refused to look at either of them. 'Can I try again?' he asked._

 _'_ _I think it's enough for today.'_

 _'_ _No, I want to. Loki, how do you do it?'_

 _Loki shrugged. 'I … I guess it's easier if you don't try so hard. Like … if you want to remember something, it'll come to you if you stop trying.'_

 _'_ _Now there's an interesting approach,' Frigga said with a raised eyebrow. 'Very well. Try, love.' She put her hand on Thor's head again._

 _He walked to a book shelf and picked up a tome. He froze in mid action and returned it. 'No, I will not start singing the first chapter.' This time, when Loki laughed, he laughed with him. And when Thor ran towards him, their mother didn't stop him from hugging his brother so hard he lifted him off the ground._

Ϡ

Thor blinked away the fog from his mind. He'd always struggled when he'd tried to meditate, had tended to fall asleep. He wasn't sure if this memory had come up as the result of meditating or sleep. He rubbed his forehead, where a headache had formed. His bed was too large for him alone. The entire room was. His head was filled with confusion. Somewhere deep in his soul something was screaming at him to go to his brother and beg him to return with him. But he had tried to kill him, again …

'Have you ever, though?' The emptiness in the room had no answer. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw those images. Loki with blood streaming from his nose. Struggling. His face, right in front of him, full of worry. His lips on Thor's forehead, warm and soft. But he also remembered how he had brought up every single time Thor had hurt him, urging him to take his own life … It made no sense.

'Oh, Mother, I wish I'd been a better student.' It was too late for that, now, of course. But he could try … Once, he had shaken a suggestion with ease. That one time, he had listened to Loki. Brute force had never worked, something that his younger self had failed to understand. But hadn't he become a better man since then?

Still sitting on his bed, Thor closed his eyes again. He listened into himself, examined the conflicting images. That Loki would do something like this seemed incongruous with everything he had done since they had left Asgard. But he had to focus on something else. During that one lesson, he had thought of their embrace just a moment before, and the beauty of the feeling had been enough to show him that the urge to start to sing was foreign. Now, he thought of the night Loki had revealed himself, how he had caught the stopper, how they had held on to each other …

And the fog cleared. He remembered himself mumbling nonsense while Loki, his beloved Loki, had tried to talk him out of it. How Solvi had tried to keep Loki away. How he had watched his heart break when he had sent him to the greenhouse and all but threatened to have him executed. The other memories, the ones of Loki trying to drive him into hurting himself, they remained. But suddenly, it was easy to tell which ones were real.

Thor opened his eyes. Sparks danced at his fingertips in barely controlled anger. He had no idea where this mess in his head had come from, but one thing was certain. It wasn't Loki. He had to go and free his brother and hope he could forgive him.

Ϡ

Loki had returned to his prison immediately and only just in time before Valkyrie came to check if he was there. She sized him up but didn't speak, and Loki refused to acknowledge her at all. It might not be her fault, but still. He wasn't going to face the triumph in her eyes or he might do something rash.

As the hours trickled by, he made his plan. He'd go to the sickbay and to engineering and find out when Heid was home and Gullveig was not. He would kill Heid when her sister wasn't there. The problem was that other than his or Odin's magic, a witch's spell didn't fade after their death. What she had done to Thor, his brother had to overcome on his own. It wasn't an easy feat and Loki had to prepare himself that it wouldn't happen. Thor had never been good at this. The real memory of what had happened would remain firmly locked away in his mind unless he actively started to doubt the possibility of Heid's fake one.

Slowly, the ship turned dark. The greenhouse was a nice place for a prison. Loki wondered if deep down Thor had meant to send him somewhere peaceful, somewhere he could relax his mind despite the horrors.

What little activity there was in the greenhouse died down. Loki didn't barge out immediately. Instead, he inched to the end of the corridor. The moment he glanced around, a blade was pressed against his throat. 'Stay put,' Valkyrie said. 'I'm under orders to kill you if you don't.'

Loki stayed stock-still. 'And I'm sure you hate the very thought, but you are honour bound to obey.' His voice was dripping with venom. He had no time for this.

'Not exactly. But I'm not sure if this is right.' To his surprise, Valkyrie sheathed her knife.

'There's a start. I've got things I need to do. Thor is in grave danger. Come with me, if you must, but let me do this.'

'There won't be a need.' Thor came running towards them and didn't slow when he got close. Loki braced himself for an attack, but instead he was swept into an almost painfully fierce hug. 'I wonder if loving you will ever cease to be difficult.'

Loki patted his back. 'That's all right. You think I tried to murder you. Forgive me if I don't hold still and wait for you to have me killed.'

'No.' Thor took his face into both hands and all Loki could see in his brother's eyes was love and affection. 'I have no idea what is going on, but I have two differing sets of memories of earlier tonight and I don't need a trial to figure out which is wrong.' He pressed his lips to Loki's, and despite himself, his eyes closed and he melted against Thor. For an eternity packed into moments, nothing else mattered. Thor's tongue swept over Loki's lips and he opened himself up. Thor's arms went around him again, holding him firmly, rocking him as if the world had ceased to exist around them. Eventually, with a tangible effort, Thor let go of him, but he kept his forehead pressed against Loki's and their eyes locked. 'Help me, my love. Who did this? What can we do now?'

Loki's lips tingled. 'Heid did it. I need a few things. I need to know when she is in her and her sister's quarters and Gullveig is not. This confrontation is going to be ugly, and I'd rather not bring Gullveig into this.' He frowned. 'She knows, but I understand her urge to protect her sibling.'

'You are certain it's her?'

'Yes. Heimdall is, too.'

Thor's eyes were earnest. 'I believe you. I don't need verification. But then it can't be the same person who murdered people millennia ago.'

'I don't care who it was then. We have to stop the one doing it now.' Loki cupped Thor's cheek. 'Before she gets you.'

'Heid should be sleeping now,' Valkyrie helped out. Loki had almost forgotten she was even there. 'She left the infirmary a while ago. And Gullveig asked me to dispatch one of my guards to engineering to break up a fight. That was less than half an hour ago. She's probably still there.'

'Then let's get Heid,' Thor said. 'We could use your help, too, Valkyrie.'

'Good idea,' Loki said. 'If you are able to defend yourself against a mental attack.'

Valkyrie grinned. 'Bring it on.'


	12. Disrespect the Signs

_((This line comes from the song_ You _by R.E.M. and it comes without the context of the song. (Which is one of the most blatantly sexual I've come across in my life.).))_

* * *

 _12\. Disrespect the Signs_

'It seems there's no-one in here,' Loki announced when they stood in Heid and Gullveig's quarters after Thor had opened it using his override.

'Then where is she?' Valkyrie asked.

Loki shook his head. 'Who knows? Maybe looking for Thor in his room.'

'Doesn't matter,' Thor said, his voice gruff. 'We're here now, we'll look around.'

The room was still cast into darkness. 'What's that smell?' Valkyrie asked.

Loki frowned. 'Rot,' he said simply. 'What in the name …' He turned on the light and Thor could take in the room. He couldn't see anything out of place.

The bed was made, and everything was generally tidy. 'Seems normal. Except for the stench.'

Loki was going through drawers, while Valkyrie started looking under the sheets. 'Maybe we should leave the room as we entered it,' Thor said.

'Doesn't matter,' Loki said. 'We should wait here and attack as soon as she enters.' He kept his face as detached as he could. 'Do you know Solvi is dead, Thor?'

'Yes.' He worried at his lower lip. 'I told her to stay. This is my fault.'

'No.' Loki abandoned the trunk he was going through. 'No, Thor, it's not. You're a victim in this.'

'Doesn't feel like it.'

'Then take my word for it.'

Valkyrie huffed. 'He's right. If even I say so, he's got to be.'

A minute smile tugged at Thor's lips. 'Fine.' He made a face. 'Ugh. That smell, though.'

Loki turned around in a circle and walked to the desk. He knelt beside it. 'A-ha.' He ran his hand through thin air. When he removed it, there was a small pile of decomposing food under the desk. 'Interesting. Our rationing isn't unreasonably tight, but I don't see how that much food can accumulate in such a short time unless they are trying to starve themselves.'

'If she can make a piece of paper disappear, why not the trash, too? Would make our search so much less disgusting.'

'She could have just put it in the recycler. Let me get rid of that for her.' With a lazy wave of Loki's hand, the trash was gone. 'Hang on.' Amazed, Thor watched him go over the room again, checking beds, closet, and drawers a second time. 'Take a look, brother, and tell me what you see. Or rather, what you don't see.'

Thor wanted to argue, but they would finish this faster if he just did as Loki had asked. He found clothes, a bit of jewellery, a piece of paper with the duty roster for engineering and the infirmary. 'I haven't the faintest idea.'

Loki's expression was one of triumph. 'Well. This room is inhabited. Obviously, you want to say.' He raised a forefinger. 'But here's the fun part. There's only one person living here.'

'Uh. What?' Valkyrie followed their investigation. 'Well, it looks like there's not enough clothes for two people.'

'That, too. But we have food for about one person rotting under the desk. There is not even a hint of separation of spaces. Unless they share underwear, there is only one sister. And I'm fairly certain if we examined it, we'd find that the second bed has never been slept in.'

'What exactly does that tell us?' Valkyrie asked.

Thor shrugged. 'Maybe Gullveig is dead.'

'I suppose she is,' Loki said. 'But not recently and she doesn't have rest.'

'Loki, what are you saying? That Heid animated her body and keeps her walking around?'

'That is exactly what I'm saying.' He rubbed the bridge of his nose. 'Let's leave. Come on. I have an idea.'

Thor hurried after his brother. 'What do you mean?'

'We talk to Gullveig. If we manage to convince her that she is dead, her sister's magic might fail. Losing control over a permanent spell always has a backlash. She must have felt one when she lost control of you, and another one, especially such a powerful one, could weaken her significantly.' Loki stopped when they were all out in the corridor. 'Thor, I do not fear a fight with most magical beings, but I cannot say this enough. A mad witch is extremely dangerous. Anything that gives us an edge could tip the scales in our favour. We don't want any casualties, but she won't care.'

'What does she want exactly?' Valkyrie asked.

Loki looked at her. 'Power. Magical and political. She wanted him as a puppet, which didn't work. Now she'll want him dead. And we cannot let that happen.' He took Thor's hand into his and squeezed. 'No-one hurts you. Not while I'm here.'

Ϡ

Loki's steps were brisk, almost a run. Thor stopped him after a while by grabbing his arm. 'Where are we going?'

'Our office,' Loki said. 'I want to see exactly how and when Gullveig and Heid filled in the census.'

'What good will that do?' Valkyrie asked.

Loki spun and faced her. He raised his arms. 'I don't know. Maybe none. Maybe it gives us some hint, some insight about what exactly Gullveig is except a walking corpse. I also want to talk to the people in her department tomorrow. I want to know if they're depressed around her, if there is some vibe she's giving off. We can use that to talk her into dropping dead. This is bad, in case it's not clear. There is almost no scenario in which necromancy – actual, real necromancy – is a good idea.'

'There's fake necromancy?' Thor asked.

Loki rolled his eyes. 'This isn't the time for the basics you should have learned when we were little.'

Thor's chuckle was infuriating. Apparently his impatience showed, because Thor sobered. 'Maybe we can find out if Heid is a lot older than she looks,' he suggested.

Loki nodded eagerly. 'See, this is useful input, Thor. Now can we move?' He didn't wait for an answer but hurried on.

He barged into his and Thor's office and found it occupied. Bruce Banner sat at Loki's desk, his arms folded on its surface and his head resting on them. Next to him stood Heid, bent over him. At their entrance, she looked up.

Loki folded his arms. 'Step away from him.'

Heid blinked but did as she was told. 'I don't understand …'

'Did you think you'll have an easier time controlling Thor if you murder his friend?'

Bruce proved he was very much alive by raising his head. 'What are you even talking about? Thor, why did you have to keep that raving maniac around?'

Thor looked mildly offended but just shrugged. 'He keeps showing up.'

Loki shot him a glare. 'Thanks for the support, brother. Well, since you're not dead, I'd ask you to leave us.'

Bruce stayed put. 'No. You're not giving orders to me.'

'Are you well, Bruce?' Thor asked.

'No. I want to rip your brother in half.' A faint sheen of green appeared on his cheeks.

Heid put a hand on his shoulder. 'Close your eyes. Think of her. See your face in front of your eyes. Hear her voice, feel her hands on your skin.'

Loki watched how he did as he was told and his colouring returned to normal. When he looked at them again he seemed tired. 'I wanted to take a look at the ship's layout and what not and asked Heid to come here when I … ah … felt I was slipping.'

'Well, the problem is that you're probably possessed now,' Thor explained.

Loki and Valkyrie gave a simultaneous shout of, 'Thor!'

Thor shrugged. 'What? Look, Heid, we know it's you. You have your dead sister walking around while you keep murdering people. What you're using her for is beyond me, though.'

The look Bruce gave them all was one of deep scientific interest. 'You are all raving maniacs, you do realise that.' He sounded rather thrilled. 'Heid is a good soul. She's the only reason why I can have a sensible conversation with you. So whatever gave you that idea, you're wrong.'

'I assure you, my sister is not dead,' Heid said. 'What in the world gave you that idea?'

'We found the evidence in your quarters,' Loki told her. 'There is only one person who lives there.'

'But …' Heid closed her eyes and shook her head. 'That makes no sense.'

Loki tried to read her energy. It was difficult to glean any knowledge from her, but that was perfectly normal for a witch. 'This is weird.' He frowned. 'I expected you to attack us at once.'

'She's just too smart for that,' Valkyrie said.

'No. A mad witch isn't in control of her emotions or her actions.'

'He's right,' Heid said. 'I wonder … Gullveig's and my room … I'm trying to summon up its image to see what makes you think this, but I can't.'

Bruce stiffened. 'Hey, maybe _you're_ dead,' he said.

'She can't be,' Loki said. 'She has a powerful aura.'

'Well, maybe she isn't there at all, then.' He squinted at her. 'What if … I mean, I don't know the first thing about your crazy Asgardian hocus pocus, but what if she's like a touchable, walking illusion and what you sense isn't an aura but the magic that's making her a physical presence?' He shrugged. 'I've read a bit about Asgardian magic, you know. It seems like that could work.'

'Could it?' Thor asked.

Loki nodded slowly. 'Hypothetically Auras and magic feel very similar. Heid, do you allow me to touch your mind? I might find out.'

'Like you wait for permission,' Valkyrie muttered.

Wordlessly, Heid walked around the desk to stand in front of Loki. 'You need to lower your defences. Thor, if I start acting strangely, knock me out.' He put his hand on her forehead and reached out. He found memories of being in the infirmary, of working with Bruce Banner … of walking back to the room she inhabited with Heid. As the door closed behind her, the memory faded to black, cutting Loki's link to her.

Taking a step backwards, Loki lowered his head.

'And?' Thor asked, ever impatient.

Loki ignored him. His eyes were on Heid. 'I am sorry,' he said quietly.

Heid lowered her head in a moment of quiet contemplation and Loki half expected her to fade from his eyes like so much fog. 'I don't need your compassion,' she said eventually. She looked again, at each of them in turn. 'Tell me. Am I a threat?'

Swallowing, Loki shook his head. 'No.'

'Then I wish to speak to my sister before it is over for both of us.' Her eyes burned into Loki's. 'I want to know why.'


	13. Die Neugier wird zum Schrei

_((I have seen_ Infinity War _. That was the cause of the brief hiatus. Now I have to make a decision. Also this chapter fought me on several fronts._

 _This chapter heading is a line from the song_ Klavier _(meaning_ Piano _) by Rammstein. It translates to_ Curiosity becomes a scream _.))_

* * *

 _13\. Die Neugier wird zum Schrei_

According to the duty roster, Gullveig was still in engineering. Cornering her there was a bad idea, they all agreed. There was too much danger of collateral damage. 'Now what?' Valkyrie asked, impatient for some result.

'I'd like to see if Heid can enter her and Gullveig's room,' Loki said. 'I'm wondering. Do you remember being a child, Heid?'

The healer was pale. It was fascinating how good the illusion was. It thought for itself, felt for itself … and yet. Once Gullveig was dealt with, she would be gone, too. 'I have a few, but … I wonder. They're just planted, aren't they?'

'Maybe you have existed for all this time. Incidentally, how old are you two?'

Heid shook her head. 'Gullveig is old. It is strange. I always thought of myself as a young woman, but recently, in the last few centuries, I've wondered. Since we are here, I have started doubting more and more. In all truth, you only confirmed a nagging suspicion.'

'She's losing her hold on you. I wondered if you are an illusion she has to create over and over again, but then you would barely retain memories. She created you once. And only in the sanctuary of your home, she lets go of her control. Then you lose your physical manifestation.'

'I have a question, if I may,' Bruce said. 'Why do we want Gullveig to know we know?'

Thor growled. 'She already knows that. She must know I shook off her mind control.'

'Her mind control,' Bruce echoed. 'Is there anything she can't do?'

Loki gave him a serious look. 'Very little. And there is less she wouldn't try, fail, and cause a backfire that could kill us all.'

Bruce's shoulders slumped. 'Why am I doing this again?'

Thor gave him a sweet smile. 'Because you're my friend!'

Bruce rubbed a hand over his face. 'You're a lousy friend. Here's what I'd do. I'd summon her to the conference room and tell her the jig is up, we have the culprit, and it's no use protecting Heid.'

'But it isn't Heid,' Thor said, very patiently. 'It's …'

Loki raised a hand with his eyes screwed shut and Thor fell silent. 'Beautiful.'

'What are you … Loki, where are you going?'

'Conference room.'

'What exactly is the plan?' Valkyrie asked.

Loki beamed at her. 'Winging it.'

'Winging it?' Thor asked, his voice cracking. 'You've emphasised time and time again what a dangerous individual she is and …'

'Listen. She can read your minds. She can't read mine. You'll have to play along with what I'm doing. All of you. And if she touches your minds she'll sense confusion. If she catches determination, she'll know.'

'Then I need to leave,' Bruce said. 'I know what you're doing.'

'You can do something else.' Loki swallowed. 'Go back to Thor's and my office and hack into surveillance. Observe the corridor to the armoury. If anyone tries to get past Korg or if Korg himself abandons his post and goes inside, tell me immediately and use the computer to shut the thing tight.'

'Sure. We don't want her to arm herself.' Bruce hurried off.

'Yeah. That's why,' Loki muttered. He watched him walk away, fighting the unreasonable impulse to go in his stead. But he had to stay and lure Gullveig into a trap.

'Please let me talk to her,' Heid said. 'I can't believe she'd do this. I need to be certain.'

'Heid,' Loki started, but Thor interrupted him gently by putting a hand on his shoulder.

'We'll all talk first. We won't touch your sister without knowing with absolute certainty that it is her doing.'

Ϡ

Thor was … well. Frightened was too strong a word. When Loki had informed Gullveig that he wanted to speak to her in the conference room about her sister, she had sounded confused, maybe worried. Now Loki and he were sitting at the table with Heid on the other side. He leaned closer, whispering into Loki's ear. 'What if she thinks her sister is real?'

Loki's lips twitched into a minute smile. 'I doubt it, but it is a possibility that has occurred to me.'

Thor opened his mouth again, but was cut off by the door opening. Gullveig stepped inside, taking note of Valkyrie standing guard at the door. 'Please sit,' Loki said. 'We have apprehended your sister in our office. She was attempting to kill Bruce Banner.'

The astonishment on Gullveig's face was real, that much Thor was sure of. 'Heid? She'd never harm a soul!'

Heid lowered her head in defeat.

Thor folded his arms. 'Then explain to me what she was doing with her hand on his forehead as if she tried to get into his head? Like all the others. She did it to me, too. It must have been her. Wasn't it, Heid? You tried to sic me on Loki like a rabid dog.' He shook his head. 'The one soul I have left, who means the world to me.'

He felt Loki touch his wrist and fell silent. His fury was real. How could anyone dare? 'At any rate,' Loki said, 'we're informing you of her immediate execution.'

'But she has the right to a trial!'

'I am your king,' Thor said. 'I have the right to do as I please.' He walked to Valkyrie and took the sword she offered. She put her hand on the hilt of a dagger instead.

'It wasn't Heid,' Gullveig said. 'I know it wasn't.'

'Then who, Gullveig?' Loki asked. 'Tell us. You betrayed her to us yourself when you let the gender of the killer slip.'

Gullveig's face was a mask of rage. She would snap. Soon. 'And I tell you it's not Heid. You are killing the wrong person. You'll see, it won't end with her and I will have all of Asgard know you murdered an innocent.'

'Heid, if you want to say something, now is as good a time as any,' Thor said.

Heid raised her gaze to Gullveig. 'Yes. I wanted to, first.' She stood and walked towards her. It was uncanny, the two identical women facing each other like mirror images. Even the way they dark brown hair fell past their should in gentle waves seemed the same. 'Now, however …' Thor thought she would attack Gullveig with her bare hands, but instead, she suddenly turned away and to Loki. 'We know what has to happen now, you and I. But I need your help.'

Loki's eyes were wide and green and full of a compassion Thor hadn't known he was capable of. He said nothing, but in Heid's hand appeared a dagger. Gullveig stepped away and opened her mouth to speak, hands raised in defiance.

She never said a word. Heid sank the blade into her own chest and Gullveig screamed with anguish.

Thor's head whipped around to look at Loki. 'Did you know that was what she wanted?'

His brother swallowed. 'Yes. We cannot let Gullveig live, and the moment she died, Heid would have been gone anyway. Like this she is severely debilitated.'

At the very least. She was visibly shaken, staring at the fading image of her sister. 'But you can't be killed like that,' she said, grasping at nothing.

'She can if she believes it,' Loki said. 'You made her so strong, so _there_ that she became real enough to take control of her own existence.' He vaulted over the table. Valkyrie had positioned herself at the door with her knife drawn, blocking Gullveig's exist. Not that she looked like she planned to leave. She had sunken into a heap on the floor, drained and broken. 'Surrender and I will give you a clean and painless death. Fight back and it will get dirty for everyone. The result will be the same, but I will make you suffer. If only for what you did to my brother.'

Gullveig turned her eyes up and spat at Loki's feet. 'Brother. The brother you fuck like there is no tomorrow. He could have anyone on this ship, but you have your claws driven into his mind like you drive into his body, like you make him drive into you. As if he would ever touch such a filthy creature if he had a choice.'

Loki was smiling. He would have looked beautiful if his eyes hadn't been blazing with rage as he knelt in front of her. 'You are done talking.' Metal glinted in Loki's hand. One last time, Gullveig looked up. And the room was cast into darkness.


	14. Serpentine and Black

_((The chapter heading is from the song_ The Path _by HIM.))_

* * *

 _14\. Serpentine and Black_

Loki lunged blindly and – as he had expected – hit nothing but the ground. He swore, trying to sense Gullveig's aura. Nothing. He moved away backwards to where he knew the table was, where Thor had to be. 'Thor?' No answer.

Before Loki came up with a plan, the lights flickered back to life, revealing an empty room. Somewhere on Sakaar, Loki had obviously lost the ability to pretend even to himself that he didn't care. He was worried. More than worried. The door opened, and he was about to let out a sigh of relief. But it wasn't Thor who entered. Fjalar and Nari came in, Nari staring at the floor, Fjalar with a challenge in his eyes.

Loki scrambled to his feet and to the door, slamming it shut. 'What are you doing here? I told you to stay put.'

'Heid came to tell us to go see you,' Fjalar said. 'She said it's important.'

'Damn you, Banner, why didn't you tell me?' There was a chance that Bruce hadn't even seen anything. Or that he was dead. Loki crouched next to the boys. 'Do you know how to retract your aura?' They both shook their heads. 'Then you're getting a quick tutoring from me. You know how to see auras, don't you?'

'Yes,' Nari said. 'Who doesn't?'

Loki offered a minute smile. 'You'd be surprised. Now I want you to focus. What colour is your own aura?'

'Scrambled,' Fjalar said at once.

'Then steady yourself. Concentrate on me. What do you see?'

'Light blue. Bit of light green, too.'

Loki laughed. 'Just so. Nari, well done. Fjalar, you too. First, try and get a hold on your magic, keep it in. It's about as comfortable as holding your breaths for longer than a moment. You're very young and under a certain age that is very difficult but you can do it. Good. Both of you. Now imagine your aura shrinking into yourselves. It will feel very strange, breathe through the sensation.' Again, the door opened. Loki's spell was instantaneous, hiding the brothers from ordinary sight the moment their auras faded into nothing. Their mother had taught them well, enabled to pick up new skills fast and with precision. Gullveig leaned against the frame, looking at him. 'Where have you hidden them?' she asked.

Loki stood. He hoped they had the sense to walk away from anywhere near him. 'In another dimension,' he said. 'You won't find them.' His focus was still on Fjalar and Nari. He had no idea where they were. Good. Maybe she didn't either.

'I doubt you can do that,' Gullveig said.

'Doubt away.' He could do it and he would have had enough time. But he hadn't known that in advance. 'Where is Thor?'

'Dead. Like the rest of them. It's just you and me now.' It could be true. You never knew with a crazed völva. 'And you'll die just as easily as that fool Solvi.' Red flared at the edge of Loki's perception, something he sensed more than he saw it.

Gullveig's head whipped around in triumph. 'There they are. Angry, boys? No use hiding. I know exactly where you are.'

'Run,' Loki said sharply. 'Now!'

Her attack, however, wasn't against the boys. The floor fell away from under Loki as he was whipped upwards. His head collided with the ceiling, almost knocking him unconscious. He couldn't move. He couldn't attack. He struggled against the invisible thread holding him back, like the web of a spider. 'Gullveig, leave them. Your fight is with me.'

'You promised me pain. You'll feel it.'

Loki's magic had fallen from the boys, cancelled by raw power fuelled by madness, and they stood close together. In his fear, Nari looked even smaller than he normally did. Fjalar was a wall of defiance. Then their faces were drained of expression as they stepped away from each other. Out of thin air, they both held knives and started a bizarre dance. It would have looked graceful, the way they circled each other, arms flashing towards each other, cutting, drawing blood. They smiled as they destroyed each other with slow precision. Loki tried to squeeze his eyes shut, to look away from this, but he found himself unable, just like they were unable to break from their macabre choreography.

Eyes still focussed on auras, Loki saw theirs swirling in all the colours of the spectrum. The swirling continued when their colours had paled to almost nothing, when all that kept them on their feet was Gullveig's magic.

The witch sighed. 'Such beauty,' she said. 'Alas, I haven't the time.' With one quick motion of her hand, both boys fell. So did Loki. Ignoring Gullveig, he hurried to the motionless figures, placing his hands on them, searching for a spark of life, anything at all. He could heal them as long as something was still left. But there was nothing, even their bodies suddenly strangely insubstantial, as if they were fading into thin air.

And Loki's mind kicked back into gear. He rose to his feet and tutted. 'You almost had me. But you are too weak. Even as we speak, your power is draining. This is your wish, to be able to overpower me when in truth, you are failing to keep your spell active. Are you trying to trap all three of us in a separate haze of pain, driving us to self-destruction? It's not working.'

He closed his eyes and took a deep steadying breath, drove Thor and the children and their ship away from his mind. In his head he heard his mother's voice, telling him no-one was coming to hurt him, reassuring him that he was loved and safe. It was one of the first things she had taught him when he was a very anxious small child: to tell the difference between reality and dreams, between what was happening and what someone wanted to make him believe with lies or with magic. Wasn't there a gasp of pain, laboured breathing? Wasn't there a groan, deep and pulling at Loki's heart?

Determined, Loki opened his eyes. He was exactly where he had been. Valkyrie had sagged to the floor, but her dagger was lodged in Gullveig's left shoulder. Thor lay against the wall, a trickle of blood running from his nose. The boys were nowhere to be seen, very possibly still safe in the armoury. Loki pushed his concern away and pulled the knife from the witch's body, not without twisting it. 'Almost, völva,' he said. He saw her open her mouth, but she never said another word. He sank the blade into her throat, right under her chin, blood gushing out of the wound.

Ϡ

Loki didn't take long to savour his victory. He went to check on Thor and found that he had been slammed face first into the wall. His injury was surficial. Both he and Valkyrie had come out of their trance immediately. But Loki couldn't linger. Leaving a confused Thor behind, he ran down to the armoury, barging past a bewildered Korg the moment his communication came alive. 'Loki, I don't know how to say that, but you're running to the armoury and I'm not sure if you're you.'

'Bruce, you ninnyhammer. I'm me all right.' He cut the connection and ran on, crashing into the small storage room. At first, all he saw was the collapsing furniture. 'Boys?' he ventured. 'It's safe, you can come out.' It took a few horribly long seconds before a small foot kicked open the grill to the air vent and the pair came climbing out. Relief hit Loki so hard he sank into a chair that gave under him completely.

Nari put a small hand on his arm. 'Are you hurt?' he asked.

Loki looked at him and managed to smile. 'No. And you won't be either. She's gone. It's over.'

Fjalar frowned. 'What's going to happen now, though? Everyone we know is dead.'

'There are a lot of children who have lost their relatives. We're using the data from the census to see they're taken care for. We're not going to leave you to fend for yourselves.'

'I told you,' Fjalar said quietly to Nari.

Nari ignored him. 'Can't we stay with you?'

Loki blinked at him, realising very slowly what they were asking. 'I … Why would you want to?'

Fjalar shrugged. 'You're the only one who tried to help us. Not just by catching the killer but … just for our sakes.'

'We trust you,' Nari said.

'Well, you can keep the room next to Thor's and mine, that's certain. And I suppose there is nothing that would stop me from becoming your official guardian. Although I cannot teach you that particular brand of magic of yours. The basics, yes, but the rest we'll need to find a witch for. Don't worry, I won't take someone you don't like.' His lips twitched. 'You do realise you're adopting Thor, too. At least for the time being.'

The boys exchanged a glance. 'That's all right,' Fjalar said generously.

Nari fidgeted. 'Shouldn't we tell him? Since he doesn't seem sure …'

For the first time since he'd met him, he saw Fjalar smile, if somewhat subdued. 'No. He'll see in time.'

Loki knew better than to ask.

* * *

 _((This is the second time I describe auras, but I can't remember where I did it the first time. I only knew that then and now my descriptions, colours, and effects are borrowed from the_ World of Darkness _.))_


	15. Більше нічого не треба

_((The chapter heading is a line from the song_ Знайди мене _(_ Find me _, transliterated to_ Znaydy mene _) by Delia. It means_ It takes nothing else _and reads_ Bil'she nichoho ne treba _.))_

* * *

 _15._ _Більше_ _нічого_ _не_ _треба_

Loki accompanied the boys into their room. He was glad that Heimdall had seen that it was cleaned. He had no idea how exactly Solvi had died, but given how unhinged Gullveig had been at the end, he was almost certain it wasn't pretty. 'Are you all right?' he asked.

'No,' Nari said. 'We're not.'

Loki placed himself on the bed. 'Come here.' Flanking him, they sat next to him, and he put an arm around each of the boys. 'Stupid question.'

'Kind of,' Fjalar muttered.

Loki smiled at him. 'Fair enough. You'll be fine. It doesn't feel like it, it feels like a know-it-all is belittling you and making light of your grief, but I'm not. So please take this next seriously. There's a makeshift school and I want you to go there. I suppose you did so far.' They nodded. 'Keep doing it, even if this seems pointless and the last thing you want to do right now. But there is something even more important: If you need me, call. If you get scared at night, call. Unless I'm holding the ship together with my bare hands, I'll drop what I'm holding come to you.'

'We're not scared.'

'Ah, Fjalar. You might be later. Your memories of what happened might take over. And that isn't because you're children. That is because you're alive. And I want you to know that if that happens, I'll be here.'

'Thanks,' Nari said. 'We didn't know if you even really cared.'

'I care,' Loki said and found, half to his surprise, that he meant it. 'Very much. Clear?'

'Clear.'

'Now I need to see that Thor is all right. Tomorrow we'll find someone who can teach you to control your sight. Incidentally, do you know how to retract your auras?'

'No,' Fjalar said. 'Aunt Solvi didn't like when people did that. She said it's dishonest.'

Loki rolled his eyes. 'Well. This is going to be the first thing I'm teaching you. You never know.'

Ϡ

Thor and Valkyrie had done the sensible thing and gone to the infirmary to have themselves checked out. They were both fine. Physically. But Valkyrie had been silent and pale when she'd left. Whatever vision had plagued her had shaken her badly. And Thor couldn't even guess what had happened to Loki, or where he had gone after he'd killed Gullveig.

The door opened and Loki wandered into their room. He, too, looked too pale. 'Fjalar and Nari are safe. I hid them once Solvi was dead.' He smiled slightly. 'Apparently I have been adopted by them.'

'At least one of us is useful.'

'Don't say that.' Loki walked over to his brother. 'What's wrong, Thor? And don't dismiss me. I can tell.'

Thor sighed. 'Apart from the fact that I have been in the thrall of a murderer?'

'Yes, apart from that. What did you see?'

Thor shook his head. He didn't want to answer, even though he knew he would. 'You. Again. Apparently you are my greatest weakness.' He watched how Loki's eyes widened, for a moment as readable as a book. Worried, aching, compassionate. 'You left me,' Thor continued. 'You told me I was weak and gullible and you were not just ending our relationship but going off and I'd never meet you again. And that this was what I wanted all along anyway.' He swallowed. 'I know you won't do that, Loki. I don't know why it felt so real.'

'Because Gullveig was ridiculously powerful.'

'You got out.' Even Thor heard the bitterness in his voice.

Loki made a dismissive gesture. 'Because she was becoming weaker. Before that, she had me firmly in her claws. Thor … tell me something.'

'Shoot.'

'Just how long do you think this will go on? Heimdall reminded me that you have a duty and that I need to be prepared …'

'Hold it. I think I'll need to have a serious talk with Heimdall.'

'He's right.'

'He's not. Loki, I don't know how to make myself clearer than I have. I love you.' He put his hands on Loki's shoulders and pulled him closer. 'How do I prove that?'

Loki rested his cheek against Thor's. 'You don't need to. But you do have a duty.'

'Well. Since as of today, it seems you have children, I don't see a problem.'

Loki pulled away by a fraction. 'I ask you this very fondly: Are you quite mad, brother?'

Thor grinned and gave Loki an extra wet kiss. 'Why?'

'You want an only child. Believe me.'

'Why? We've worked it out fine.'

'Not an option for them.'

'No. But we can do better than our father and make sure they don't feel like they have to compete.' The Loki from his vision came back to his mind. 'Unless you'd rather …'

'No. I'm … thrilled to the core. Not sure I believe I get to be so lucky, but thrilled.'

'Look. I know you said it's in the past, but there is one thing that I never told you. I wouldn't have let them execute you, even though you believed that. I know what Father said. That Mother was the only reason you weren't sentenced to die.'

Loki removed himself from Thor's hold and folded his arms around himself. 'Very well. That did hurt. I just thought you'd given up on me. And I wasn't going to blame you for that.'

'Well, it's not true. I wanted to talk to him, to speak on your behalf, too, but then we agreed I wouldn't. Because if her words failed, someone needed to break you out. Someone who seemed to be on Father's side, because they wouldn't have let her near you.'

Loki snorted. 'Her idea?'

Thor's lips twitched. 'Of course. Loki … how did Gullveig know so precisely how to get to me?'

'She didn't,' Loki answered. He let himself fall on the bed, arms crossed under the back of his head. 'She just caused your own fears, those you have already, to seem real. She did it for me, too. In my vision, you were dead and she murdered the boys in front of me.'

Thor lay down next to him. He turned Loki onto his side so they were facing each other, and cupped the back of his neck. 'You're right. I'm very afraid of losing you. And I don't like how I treated you a lot of the time and that adds to that fear.'

Loki closed his eyes. 'A thousand and five hundred years, Thor. The vast majority of that time, you were my anchor, my home. You are that again. Don't fret over what amounts to the blink of an eye in our lifetime.'

Thor looked at the peaceful face of the man who was the greatest source of joy in his life. 'Are you tired, Loki?'

His brother cracked one eye open. 'That depends on why you ask.'

Thor cupped his face and kissed him, softly this time, his tongue teasing at Loki's lips but never making it quite past them. He moved his hand down to his hips and pulled him close, squeezing his butt. 'How about this?'

Loki was about to answer when they heard an alarm. 'Thor? This is Heimdall.'

Thor was torn. He could pretend he hadn't heard anything. Loki nudged him. 'Go on. Take it. The sooner you get rid of him, the sooner we can continue.'

With a sigh, Thor forced himself out of bed. 'Yes?'

'There's something on our sensors. Far away, but we can't get a proper reading and I can't tell you much. You might want to stay alert.'

Thor rubbed the bridge of his nose. 'Damn.' He cut the connection and shrugged. 'Not now, it seems. Stay?'

Loki rose and stood beside him, hands folded in front of him. 'Sure. It's not like I have a room of my own anyway. And no, I don't want one.'

'I hope we can settle on the coast of Norway.'

'Who should stop us?'

'The Norwegians. It's their coast. And I'm not going to make them hand it over by force.' Thor folded his arms in emphasis.

Loki rolled his eyes at him but remained silent for a while, looking out into space. 'Do you really think it's a good idea to go back to Earth?'

Thor looked at him. 'Yes, of course. The people of Earth love me. I'm very popular.'

'Let me rephrase that,' Loki said. Thor knew what he'd say, and Loki knew that he knew, but he went on anyway. 'Do you really think it's a good idea to bring me back to earth?'

'Probably not, to be honest.' Thor half expected Loki to punch him, but he only smirked at him, making him want to hug and kiss him. Thor offered the tiniest of smiles in return. 'But I wouldn't worry brother. I feel like everything is going to work out fine.'

* * *

 _((This is where I end this. There will be a post-_ Infinity War _sequel. I'll post it separately because it will – obviously – contain huge spoilers. Also it won't be quite as long as this and generally a very different genre._

 _This is the better ending out of the two I was considering. In the other version, Loki would have taken Heimdall's words more to heart and would have decided to take that decision into his own hands. The scene from_ Ragnarok _would have come anyway.))_


End file.
